Just in case you were thinking we didn’t need this Year of Faith or the New Evangelization…Out comes the 2012 American Values Survey by the Public Religion Research Institute.
There’s a lot in this – a lot worth reading and a lot worth criticizing. There are some really interesting numbers on political affiliations and presidential preferences; there are also some really questionable approaches to asking certain questions and analyzing certain segments of the population. I am sure all of this will be addressed, but in pouring through the 88 pages of material, something else struck me.
In the midst of a climate where the election has reached a fever-pitch and is subsequently dominating the air waves, it has become easy to lose sight of the monumental happenings at the Vatican. Not completely, of course, but the emphases shift. The stakes in any election, including this one, are high. Nevertheless, we must not fall prey to the temptation of salvation through politics. No matter how informed or successful we are in our political endeavors, or how much we pay attention to the daily political happenings so as to remain vigilant and ready, we will not be judged for how many times we check the polls. We cannot let ourselves be spellbound by political messianism. The temptation is great, so great in fact that the Holy Father dedicated a book to the topic. Salvation will not come through politics.
The Synod, the Year of Faith, and the New Evangelization, on the other hand, deal with salvation of the eternal variety.
What does this have to do with the 2012 American Values survey? A lot, actually.
So far as I can tell, most of the early headlines on the survey were about the religious compositions of President Obama and Governor Romney’s electoral coalitions, and about the political leanings of different religions and sub-groups. But as I went through the report, it was the non-political findings that made me stop and think the most.
For example, the report shows a trend in growth among the religiously unaffiliated across generations. Only nine percent of Seniors (ages 65+) are religiously homeless. By the time you get to Millennials (ages 18-29), that number jumps to 32 percent. 14 percent of those aged 50-64 are religiously unaffiliated, as are 19 percent of those aged 30-49, showing a steady build across generations.
Then there’s this: the Catholic faith suffered the biggest loss of adherents. The poll asked respondents what faith they grew up in, as well as what faith they identify themselves with now. Catholics posted a net loss of 9.4 percent (the highest), while the unaffiliateds grew their ranks by 11.6 percent.
In fact, the report finds that former Catholics who have moved into the unaffiliated category make up a stunning six percent of the American population.
Why did they leave? The survey doesn’t break it out by faith, specifically, but if we look at the generic numbers, the most predominate answers are lack of belief in God and/or the teaching of the Church, as well as a belief that organized religion is generally bad and causes problems.
Some of the respondents’ explanations are fascinating.
One respondent, who left the Catholic Church, was quoted as saying “I was raised in a Catholic house, and one commandment is thou shall not kill. In the army, I was a sniper, so for me to do my job, it was something I left behind.”
One-in-ten unaffiliated Americans say they left because their Church – whatever it may have been – goes against science and logic. One respondent said “I just guess it’s the inability of religion to cope with scientific findings. A lot of times, when science finds fact, then religions tend to either ignore it or say it’s wrong despite the facts.”
It’s easy and perhaps natural to be discouraged in the face of stats and stories like these. But, on the other hand, what a tremendous opportunity! What a startling example of both the need for and the gift the Year of Faith and the New Evangelization.
They are part of an integrated, two step process.
Many people are suffering from a “profound crisis of faith,” as the Holy Father put it in his apostolic letter announcing the Year. It is a crisis that the Year of Faith and the New Evangelization are meant to address.
But to bring faith to the world, we need it first ourselves, otherwise, how can we hope to be effective participants in the New Evangelization? At least I know that’s the situation I find myself in. And that – I think – is the principal objective of the Year.
Commenting on one of St. Bernard’s most famous quotes, Jean-Baptiste Chautard put it this way in his magnum opus, Soul of the Apostolate, the favorite book of Pope Pius X:
“Is there anyone who does not know St. Bernard’s saying, to apostles, ‘If you are wise, you will be reservoirs and not channels….’ The channels let the water flow away, and do not retain a drop. But the reservoir is first filled, and then, without emptying itself, pours out its overflow, which is ever renewed, over the fields which it waters. How many there are devoted to works, who are never anything but channels, and retain noting for themselves, but remain dry while trying to pass on life-giving grace to souls! ‘We have many channels in the Church today,’ St. Bernard added, sadly, ‘but very few reservoirs.’”
The Year of Faith gives us an opportunity to replenish our reservoir. And how are we to do that? Through a more robust prayer life and increased participation in the sacraments, to be sure, but we can also stock up by diving headlong into the deposit of faith, reading the Catechism, and digesting the Conciliar documents.
This is – after all – the Holy Father’s intention.
In his apostolic letter, he noted that:
“….It seemed to me that timing the launch of the Year of Faith to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council would provide a good opportunity to help people understand that the texts bequeathed by the Council Fathers, in the words of Blessed John Paul II, ‘have lost nothing of their value or brilliance. They need to be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart….’”
“…. In order to arrive at a systematic knowledge of the content of the faith, all can find in the Catechism of the Catholic Church a precious and indispensible tool….It is in this sense that the Year of Faith will have to see a concerted effort to rediscover and study the fundamental content of the faith that receives its systematic and organic synthesis in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”
Only after we have renewed and prepared ourselves can we set out to be leaders of the New Evangelization and provide an authentic, Catholic witness to our families, our friends, our coworkers, and our communities.
“What the world is in particular need of today,” the Holy Father said, “is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.”
And this witness can make a difference. Consider some other interesting statistics from the study. The study sub-divided those who were unaffiliated into four groups, secular, agnostic or atheist, unattached believers, and uncategorized. 78 percent of the secular group and 79 percent of atheists and agnostics say that they seldom or never attend religious services. Could it be that a large majority of that group remains secular, atheistic, or agnostic because of a lack of exposure to the Faith? Many of them likely have simply never been evangelized at all.
Furthermore, only 12 percent of secular Americans and 13 percent of atheist or agnostic Americans say that their beliefs (or lack thereof) are very important in their lives. Perhaps for many, or even most, their atheism, agnosticism, or secularism it is not a deliberate, vital identity. They are taking a negative stance, rather than a positive one.
And we know that especially with the young (the most unaffiliated generation) the longing for something more, something deeper is there. Not just theoretically from an Augustinian standpoint (of course that is true as well), but reinforced by the data as well.
A recent Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll found that “to be spiritual or close to God” was the number one long-term life goal of those aged 18-29. 31 percent of that generation identified that goal as one of their top two. Only 21 percent of “The Greatest Generation,” 19 percent of “Baby Boomers”, and 17 percent of “Gen Xers” did the same when asked to reflect on their top two life goals when they were 21.
For what it’s worth, the next highest goal among the Millennial generation was “to get married and have a family.” 27 percent said it was one of the top two goals of theirs. “to get rich,” “to be an expert in your field,” and “to have fun,” all scored at or near the single digits.
It’s not all rosy and I don’t mean to say that it is. There are plenty of statistics, in the PRRI poll and elsewhere that indicate a decline in overall belief and a deterioration in overall attitudes towards religion. But nevertheless, we cannot wish the problem away.
Instead, we can and should seize the tremendous opportunity that we’ve been given this year to prepare ourselves to be participants in the New Evangelization.
The world needs us –or rather the world needs Christ - but before we can be of service to Him in the world, we must first prepare ourselves by deepening our prayer lives, increasing our participation in the sacraments, expanding our knowledge of Catholic teaching, and growing in our faith.
There’s no time like the present, and there is no better year than the Year of Faith.
~ Matt St. John