Religion must adapt to address societal isolation
It may be of some comfort to know that organized religion in this country is not the only institution that is declining.
A recent report in the Chicago Tribune noted that we are becoming a nation of strangers. Membership in fraternal organizations has declined dramatically. The Jaycees organization is down 44 percent. The Masons, Shriners, Lions, Rotary, Moose and Elks all report an aging and declining population.
And we can see it in all kinds of other ways. When I pull into my gas station, I run a credit card through a machine, pump my gas and drive off. I don't have to go inside and make small talk with the clerk. The same thing happens when I need cash. I push a plastic card into a machine and, bingo, I've got money.
I don't think anyone has come to our front door uninvited after dark in 15 years, and, for that, I'm glad. I've met some of my neighbors, but not all of them.
I don't hear as much talk about women and their bridge clubs, or poker get-togethers for men. Now everyone does their gaming at casinos, sitting on small stools next to strangers who do not want to start a relationship. If casino patrons do talk, it is only after someone has just hit a big jackpot.
We're isolated and insulated, and that's exactly the way we want it. We once said that people were more comfortable cocooning in their homes. Now the experts are saying we have burrowed even deeper into our own, sometimes meager, existences.
Experts say part of this has to do with the fact that we aren't very trusting of people. The question truly is: Who can we trust as the culture spirals out of control with record crime rates?
The second thing that prevents us from belonging to society is our lack of time. We are too busy and tired, and we are determined simply to take care of our own even if the entire world collapses.
What will happen if the Boy Scouts cannot recruit adult leaders? And, by the way, that is exactly what is happening in Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops across the nation.
I suppose we will see private organizations being created for the purpose of taking children camping - for a fee. And we will enroll children in health clubs, where their lives will become even more structured and regimented. We already send children off to sports camps where they learn from professionals, rather than simply letting them spend time with their friends.
When it comes to religion, people just aren't willing to spend a couple of hours a week sitting in a vacuous, unappealing, unattractive worship service. They strive for quality in every aspect of their lives, taking their pleasure at the best restaurants, theaters and arenas. Why would they settle for less in their worship lives?
I've been hearing from clergy that the two great voids in their worship populations are people from age 12 to 30 and those from 50 to 65. We know why the young are avoiding religion. They do not withstand boredom gladly. But the 50-year-olds are a puzzle. Have we burned them out? Are they tired of serving on committees and getting nothing in return but grief?
What will religion look like if the organized enclaves of piety crumble? It will be like everything else: If you've got enough money, you can have it.
People with money will hire their own spiritual directors who will sit with them for an hour a week and guide them into a deeper faith. Religion will become a Lord and Lady Bountiful enterprise.
So it is imperative, with all these volunteer organizations being diminished, that religious institutions hang on with a fierce determination to have an impact on the culture.
People want two things from their religion: choices and service. They want to choose what worship service they attend - traditional, family or contemporary, for instance. And they want people there who will serve their family with support groups, religion classes, outings, sports and group learning experiences.
Only the mega-churches can provide all of that and do it well. But almost any church can pick one or two of those needs and focus on them until they get them right. The culture is changing, and religion must change with it. The alternative is not acceptable.
Clark D. Morphew
2/02/1996
