Needs unmet, some drop out of organized religion, sociology professor says By Phyllis Sides
SOMERS - More and more people are trading religious affiliation for secularism, but it's not necessarily because they're losing their faith, a sociology professor told an audience Monday at the University of Wisconsin- Parkside.
Rather, it's because traditional, organized religion is not meeting their needs, Wayne Thompson said.
"Quite a few people are dropping out of traditional religion and considering other secular views," said Thompson, who teaches sociology at Carthage College. "Religion has competition. There are a variety of experiences that influence them."
Thompson's talk, "Dropping Out of Religion: Disaffiliation or Apostasy?" was part of the university's "Perspectives on Religious Issues" series. Thompson, who has a special interest in the sociology of religion, theorized that people are turning away from organized religion because it doesn't meet their needs.
Apostasy is a decline in traditional beliefs; disaffiliation is a turning away from organized religion. According to the surveys, Thompson said, the fastest growing religion in America is "none."
The people who have turned against organized religion are more likely to be geographically mobile, Roman Catholics, mainline Protestants, Democrats, male, white, fairly liberal, well-educated and urban dwellers, Thomas said.
The phenomenon also is occurring among some middle-class blacks, particularly black Methodists. Their demographics mirror those of their white
counterparts.
"Many of them are older baby boomers and their younger counterparts," Thompson said. "They've fallen away - stopped going. Many have traditional beliefs but haven't found a comfortable niche in the religious marketplace. They're not disinterested in faith but existing vendors are not meeting their needs. It goes along with disconnection from other institutions and community involvement."
However, dropping out doesn't do away with the need for a meaningful system, Thompson said.
"For some people it's Oprah; for others, it's traditional religion," he said.
"Religion is becoming more individualistic; that's why people are dropping out," Thompson said. "People are picking and choosing what they want from religion that's designed to meet their personal needs."
Kelly Gleason, a senior at Parkside, was one of the people who went to hear Thompson talk.
"I don't consider myself a religious person," Gleason said, "but as a sociology major I need to know about other people's belief systems." http://www.inkworkswell.com
"Be a scribe! Your body will be sleek, your hand will be soft. You are one who sits grandly in your house; your servants answer speedily; beer is poured copiously; all who see you rejoice in good cheer. Happy is the heart of him who writes; he is young each day."
--Ptahhotep, Vizier to Isesi,
Fifth Egyptian Dynasty, 2300 BC