The Rise of the “Nones”

Human beings are spiritual beings. We speak freely of our minds, hearts, or spirits – knowing full well that we aren’t talking about physical organs. Maybe you prefer the term personality or character. But you know these terms are more than alternate ways to refer to the brain or to a set of bodily processes.

Religion is not serving our spiritual lives very well these days. Don’t believe it? The March 12 issue of Time cited “The Rise of the Nones” as one of the ten ideas changing the lives of Americans. “The fastest-growing religious group in the U.S. is the category of people who say they have no religious affiliation. Sometimes called ‘the nones’ by social scientists, their numbers have more than doubled since 1990; major surveys put them at 16% of the population.”

Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. offers this explanation: “Religion has become an ugly thing. People of faith usually respond to that ugliness – by which I mean a seemingly endless cycle of scandal, controversy, hypocrisy, violence and TV preachers saying idiotic things – in one of two ways. Either they defend it – making them part of the problem – or they regard it as a series of isolated, albeit unfortunate, episodes. But irreligious people do neither.”

He is correct. So, if you are a Christian, you would be wiser simply to admit the point. Be embarrassed over it. Apologize for it. Then ask God both to forgive you of any part you have had in scandal, hypocrisy, or offense and to help the people who call themselves his children to act more like their father.

The problem isn’t new. Old Testament prophets lamented the fact that people were putting attendance at religious events in the place of integrity and gifts to good works in the place of compassion to their neighbors. So Amos and Isaiah spoke for the Lord to say, “I cannot bear your evil assemblies. . . . Even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen” (Isaiah 1:13-15).

Jesus made the same point about religion in his day. So why do we still not get it? Why does “organized religion” still drive people away from God?

If religion is getting in the way of your quest for God, just remember that God and religion are not the same. Please don’t give up on him because of us.

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows” (Isaiah 1:17 NLT).

That would be a beautiful alternative to “religion” as too many know it.

The Root of the Problem

 

Physicians are trained to trace symptoms to their root causes. Then it is the root cause – not just a presenting symptom – that gets treated. We can all be grateful for that. What would happen, for example, if headaches simply were prescribed aspirin and belly aches got antacids without further tests?

The obvious answer is that many people would die from the serious underlying diseases behind their relatively minor symptoms. Symptoms are like the red lights that appear on the instrument panel of your car. Don’t smash the annoying light. Change the oil or find out why the engine is overheating. To focus on the symptoms rather than what is behind them just isn’t very smart.

Without wanting to be unkind, let me try to be clear. We human beings aren’t terribly responsible when it comes to the basics of living. Forget stomachaches for a minute. Let’s talk about financial responsibility, intact families, or spiritual life. Are we treating symptoms or addressing root issues?

A single mom with two children explained to me why she needed a vacation with her girlfriends. “I’m so stressed out about money!” she said. “My credit card is maxed out, and I am a month behind on my rent. I’ve just got to have a break.” My suggestion was that she forget the vacation, put the money she had saved for it to catch up her rent, and start paying down her credit card by taking a sandwich to work rather than eating lunch at restaurants.

Her problem wasn’t stress. It was debt – needless, inexcusable debt that she could take steps to eliminate. She took the advice. She tells me I was a real friend to her by insisting she treat the root problem rather than the symptom.

It’s not that different with trouble in a marriage or a dry spiritual life. “We’re not happy and don’t laugh like we used to. Maybe we should take a trip together – a second honeymoon, so to speak, and reconnect.” No. Find a competent counselor both of you trust, get honest about the things that have broken down, and do your part to try to rebuild the relationship. Get to the root of things.

It’s a bit like the fellow who kept telling me he couldn’t pray, didn’t like to read the Bible, and hated going to church. I knew enough of what was going on to ask the right questions. So he finally started coming clean about the affair and the drugs. It was the beginning of the healing of his spiritual life. He quit talking about trouble praying and not liking church and faced up to an out-of-control life.

Symptoms are helpful things. They let us know something isn’t working right and invite us to seek the root cause. Then, with the real issues named and addressed, it’s amazing how quickly the symptoms begin to resolve.

Real Change Takes Time

       Did you hear the one about the country bumpkin who took his family to the big city for the first time? Lost in a strange place, he stopped in front of a multi-story hotel building. Father and son went inside to get some directions.

            Standing in the lobby, they were looking around for someone to ask. They spied a kind-looking old man with a cane and started toward him. They drew back, though, when the wall opened up for him! They watched in amazement as the wall closed, numbers above the opening grew larger then smaller, and the doors opened again. Out came a young man in confident stride and business suit. “Son, wait right here,” said the farmer. “I’m going to get in that thing!”

            All of us could wish change came so quickly and so painlessly. I’d rather lose 20 pounds with a pill than deny myself extra helpings or desserts and begin to exercise. Some people prefer to saddle themselves with debt to buy a house full of furniture rather than buy furniture as they can afford it or to buy a new car they could easily do without. And so the stories go. We want what we want – now.

            I even think I see a lot of anger in today’s world that is tied to the same thing. Petty people get mad at the good fortune of others. They want immediately what someone else attained over time. Immature people want the recognition and life status other people earned over years, but they want it on a silver platter – today.

            We laugh at the bumpkin who thought an elevator was a magic box that made old into young, stooped into sprightly, and plain into stylish. Maybe we should be laughing at ourselves. Going to college doesn’t make one wise. Driving an expensive car doesn’t confer refinement or personality. Living in an exclusive part of town says nothing about the happiness of the people who live in its newest and nicest house. And going to church doesn’t confer spirituality.

            Authentic change in looks, lifestyle, and personality takes place over time. If there is an outcome you’d like, the surest way to achieve it is not to waste your money on dangerous pills or to squander it on lottery tickets. Set a worthy goal, identify the incremental steps necessary to get there, and begin your journey. Know in advance that the wisdom, discipline, and understanding that come from the journey are equally as valuable as anything at its end.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for,” said Jesus. “Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9 NLT).