By: Lucy Panicacci

Editor-in-Chief

My parents raised me as a Catholic. Growing up, we would attend church regularly on weekends and go on Christmas and Easter. Every week, I went to Sunday school to learn about the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. We prayed before big meals, expressing our gratitude for God. When I went over to my grandparents’ house every summer, I sometimes prayed the rosary with them, which they did every night, before I went to bed. Yet, as I’ve grown older, I fail to feel a connection to Catholicism. On the now rare occasions that I attend church, I don’t feel a sense of faith and belief in the readings. However, I wish that I could be a more religious person.  

Believing in a religion provides a core sense of comfort. Although I don’t have a deep faith in Catholicism, I understand the peaceful presence of attending church. Whether or not I consider the teachings as the truth, an hour of prayer and listening to the live choir and music creates a grounding experience from which I emerge in a calmer state. In addition, Catholicism gives explanations for the many unknowns in life. It presents a way to cope with times of suffering and a soothing idea of the afterlife. A sense of security in life comes from the idea of a greater being watching over you. As an agnostic, I have to find this safety within my own will, using my own mental fortitude to deal with the difficult and stressful parts of life. In a 2019 survey, Pew Research Center uncovered a significant gap in the happiness of religious and non-religious people, finding that 36 percent of actively religious Americans described themselves as “very happy,” while only 25 percent of non-religious Americans described themselves as “very happy.” Religion allows its believers to have an unwavering pillar of support in their lives.

In spite of the impact on well-being, religion continues to decline among the current generation. According to a 2022 Pew study, 64 percent of Americans identified themselves as Christians in 2020. However, Pew Research projects that percent to dip below 50, reaching as low as 35 percent, by 2070. Currently, 34 percent of Gen Z say they are religiously unaffiliated. Scott McConnell, the executive director of Lifeway Research, connected the decline among young people to a lack of acceptance in the church environment. He reported that a majority of young adults surveyed dropped out because they disagreed with the church’s stance on social and political issues or found church members to be “judgmental or hypocritical.” My own disconnect with the Catholic church began when officials started to critique my personal beliefs for reasons that I could not see as immoral or unethical. The church could only explain its judgment through a vague Bible verse. I saw how people I knew used religion as a way to cast hate upon other people. This judgment created a stark divide in my perception of the loving, accepting community that Catholicism often champions. 

I would like to be able to hold to the belief in a greater being for the comfort and stability that it provides, yet I find myself ever questioning my faith in God and the beliefs of the Catholic Church. I still recognize the importance of religion in many people’s everyday lives. I met one of my lifelong friends through Sunday school. However, from my experience, it is clear current religious practices need redefining.

(Sources: American Survey, The Guardian, Pew Research Center)