SAN FRANCISCO, USA July 18, 2002: Researchers — raising the hopes of clergy everywhere — say there are millions of young people like this from all religious backgrounds. “When my friends were kids, they went to church because they had to,” said the 17-year-old Gonzales “Now, most of my friends are involved because they want to be.” Gonzales is part of the generation dubbed “millennials,” children born starting in 1982, who researchers believe are more spiritual and less individualistic than their mostly baby-boomer parents. Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of the book “Millennials Rising,” say these young people also prefer group activities and want clear rules set for them — a combination that seemingly guarantees they will be sitting in the pews as adults. Some theologians have expressed concern that such generalizations will lead to ministries that market spirituality merely as an activity. But many religious thinkers who follow youth trends agree with the findings, and have urged churches to do more to ensure the millennials fulfill their religious potential. The Rev. Christopher Robinson, a Catholic priest and professor at DePaul University in Chicago, said religious rituals — what he calls “chanting and smells and bells” — are attractive to the millennials. That is because they come from homes that rejected tradition, and the practices are new to them, he said. While this study was done in the USA, observers in India have also noted a similar trend among this generation.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike