Headline writers love short words.
If you were a copy-desk pro, which of the following two terms would you prefer to use in a bold one-column headline when describing one of the biggest and most complex trends in American religion today (hello omnipresent Pew Research Center folks)?
Would you prefer to call people linked to this trend “religiously unaffiliated Americans” or “nones”?
You see my point, right?
Now, one of the problems associated with the term “nones” is that many people seem to think that this word means that these Americans have no religious beliefs.
That’s inaccurate and misses the main point, which is that the “religiously unaffiliated” are just that — people who have cut their ties of affiliation to organized religious groups. Instead of religious traditions, they have their own personal approaches to religion and ultimate issues. Does the term “Sheilaism” mean anything to you? It should. It’s a term linked to the work of the late sociologist Robert Bellah, author of the landmark book, “Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life.”
This brings us back to the season of Lent and to this weekend’s think piece, care of The Lily website operated by The Washington Post. The key is that large numbers of Millennials, many of them “nones,” have not given up on Lent. Instead, they have — this is America — created their own versions of the season, using the “give up one thing” motif as an opportunity to express themselves. Here is a key section of this breezy feature:
Millennials are leaving religion in greater numbers than ever before, but they are more likely to observe Lent than baby boomers, according to 2014 research from Barna Group, an evangelical Christian polling group. Twenty percent of millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) responded that they were planning to fast, compared with 10 percent of boomers (those born between 1957 and 1964).
And increasingly, “fasting” is being adapted for modern times. What millennials choose to give up aligns with other current movements — environmentalism (going vegan, for example), an awareness of the pitfalls of technology (forgoing social media) and a commitment to social justice causes (volunteering). For those who did observe Lent, according to the 2014 Barna Group research, giving up social media, phones and video games was especially gaining in popularity.
For Elizabeth Harper, who is in her 30s and identifies as Catholic, Lent is an opportunity to reflect on “some of the ways I’ve legitimately sucked as a person and ways I can make the world just a tiny bit better by going through a small, uncomfortable confrontation and correction,” she wrote in an email.
You have to love that “identifies as Catholic” reference. It’s the times we live in.
As for me (an Eastern Orthodox Christian), I do find it interesting that motives rooted in self help and radical individualism are leading some people to Lenten practices that are actually more — trigger warning — ancient and traditional than the “give up one thing” riff.
Like what?
Vegan during Lent? Me too, since that is the Orthodox practice. Trying to find ways to pitch in and help others? Ditto. Trying to spend more time praying (nones may prefer the word meditating) and less online? Lots of traditional Christians are struggling to do that right now.
Of course, many young Americans are CHOOSING to do this on their own. It doesn’t have anything to do with religious doctrines and traditions. Thus:
These days, those abstaining in the lead-up to Easter might not even be religious.
Writing in Talking Points Memo in 2015, Monica Potts made “The Case for Secular Lent.” She wrote: “Lent forces you to think about what you’re eating, why you’re eating it, and whether it’s tied to your goodness as a person. It provides an opportunity to believe you can start fresh.”
Potts, who no longer considers herself religious, argued that Lent could be as divorced from religion as Christmas. …
Google “Lent weight loss,” for example, and an endless number of plans or challenges come up.
Lenten dieting? Oh boy, that opens a can of spiritual worms.