It was an ordinary day. Reading an article that was written by Luis Henao, Kwasi Asiedu and David Crary titled "Poll shows the 'nones' are on the rise." Story told about the 29% of American adults who identify as religiously unaffiliated. A black and white photo of a young woman named Nathalie Charles was part of the story. Nathalie was a freshman at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. and had left her church at the age of 15 and has embraced a spiritual but not religious life. Nathalie seemed to be unwelcome in her Baptist congregation, with its conservative views on immigration, gender and sexuality. So she did the next best thing for her...she left. She said she didn't believe that her church didn't gell with her view of what God is and what God can be. So...she left her church looking for a more rewarding religion to her. At first she identified as an atheist, then agnostic, before embracing a spiritual but not religious life. In her dorm room she blends rituals at an altar, chanting Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu mantras and payed homage to her ancestors as she meditates and prays. Nathalie is considered among the religiously unaffiliated which happens to be the fastest-growing group of Americans. Most describe themselves as "nothing in particular," or a member of the "nones." Today the "nones" constitutes about 29% of American adults which is up about 10% from 2011. If the "nones" were an affiliated religious group they would be the largest religious group in the United States. The "nones" were once concentrated in urban, coastal areas, but now live across the USA, representing a diversity of ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. About 30% of those considered "nones" feel some connection to God or a higher power while 19% say religion has some importance even though they have no religious affiliation. Another 12% describe themselves as religious and spiritual and 28% as spiritual, but not religious while the rest are neither spiritual or religious. Almost 2/3 of "nones" say religion was at least somewhat important to their families when they were growing up. 30% of "nones" meditate and 26% of "nones" pray privately at least a few times a month, while a smaller number consult periodically with a. religious or spiritual leader. They prefer not to be a member of a specific religion. The numbers that I have shown in my story compare about the same with Western Europe. The growth of the "nones" in the United States comes largely at the expense of the Protestant population. 40% of U.S. adults are Protestants, down from about 50% a decade ago. Another young woman who was mentioned in the story, Mandisa Thomas, is a Black atheist. She sang in the church choir as a child, but was not raised Christian. She founded Black Nonbelievers, a support group, in 2011. She said that there is this idea that somehow you are rejecting your blackness when you reject religion, that atheism is something that only white people do. Another young lady said she became an altar server at the age of 9. Now, at the age of 30, she identifies as religiously unaffiliated. What that means to her is "It just means finding meaning and maybe even spirituality without practicing a religion...pulling from whatever makes sense to me or whatever fits with my values. Her faith gave her strength when she had cancer at 11, but she also feels that growing up Catholic negatively affected her emotional and sexual development and delayed her coming out as queer. For one 70-year-old, his spiritual journey keeps evolving over decades. While growing up he attended a Congregational church with his family. During high school and college he drifted away from Christian beliefs and in his 30s began a serious, long-lasting journey into spirituality while in rehab to curb his alcoholism. He said that "Spirituality is a soul-based journey into the heart, surrendering one's ego will to a higher will. We're looking for our own answers, beyond the programming we received growing up." His path has been a tough one since he lost his wife from cancer, had financial troubles and lost his home, He now says his spiritual practice has replaced his anxieties with a "gentle joy" and a desire to help others. "As a kid I used to think of God up on a throne, with a white beard, passing judgement, but that has totally changed. My higher power is the universe. It's always there for me, if I can get out of my ego's way." Do you practice a specific religion? Where you made to go to church as a child as I was. Did you make your children go to church as I did? Have you fallen away from a religious lifestyle? If you have read this blog for any length of time you will know that I am member at St. James Episcopal Church in historic Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I probably spend more time taking photos of the church, pastors, choir, etc. then I do sitting in a pew on Sunday. I still consider myself a Christian and am happy to do so. It gives me a chance to talk to someone about my problems, even though they may not be sitting in front of me giving me a verbal answer. And I must admit, that the painting of Christ on the cross that was plastered on the wall in the church right above my head when I sang in the church choir for many years, as both a child and an adult, still is with me. Something I will take to the grave with me! But, it's not bad! It's something I need from time to time. How about you? It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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