Reading through Jean Twenge's Generation Me, she seemed to cover most aspects of society except for religion, which was an odd circumstance considering how controversial her novel played out to be. Although Twenge explored many topics that often end in heated debate, such as sexual orientation, she abstained from religion possibly in hopes of avoiding a shift in the books' overall purpose from exploring all factors of "generation me" into an everlasting argument over religion. However, the lack of discussion over such a popular topic, which ultimately could have furthered her thesis, was peculiar and may have caused more of a problem for readers awaiting her perspective on religion in today's generation.
Generation Me differs very much so from other generations when considering religion; we are a part of the Modern Era, one that holds a higher importance upon human power rather than supernatural powers, consequently lowering religious expectations for much of our generation. Although there are still cases in which religion holds much significance, not being a part of church or bible study is no longer looked down upon by the masses. This acceptance may be rooted within the fact that over the years, people have become more comfortable with themselves, no matter how much they differ from others, providing them with more freedom to speak their own thoughts and opinions on even the most controversial topics. In relation to that, believers of atheism or agnosticism may have indeed risen in numbers, but this may merely be based on the new comfort people hold with themselves, allowing them to voice their beliefs and simply be more outspoken than previous times where discussions of such ideals were considered socially unacceptable. This recent assertion of independence allows people part of "generation me" to hold their own judgments of right and wrong, as well as a stronger sense of power over themselves as they are no longer subjected to following the rules supplied to them by their religion. We've become a generation full of curiosity and lack of satisfaction in what we've been taught to always accept, which in all honesty, I see as a positive change in humanity.
I agree with a lot of what you have to say, Alex. I feel that our generation’s move away from religion isn’t exactly a negative trend, simply a symptom of our growing awareness and curiosity. And in the past atheism and agnosticism wasn’t unheard of. The majority of important thinkers during the Enlightenment – such as Voltaire and Thomas Jefferson – regarded themselves as deists. Seeing as their philosophies were the root of our nation, it is only natural that they would grow in influence.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure you already knew all of that, but I was just trying to make my point, which is that I agree with you and that I really like your analysis.