From Religious Devotion to Individual Empowerment: A Millennial Transformation
Devotion. It's a relationship that means something different for everyone. One that forms an unbreakable bond between the belief and the holder. It's a promise; a commitment that pledges loyalty and serves as a reminder in times of hardship. One can easily see the appeal. So in the generations that preceded the notorious 'Millennial', religion, particularly Christianity and its cherished symbol of the Cross, represented one's own devotion. One's promise.
This devotion can be explored to its roots which extend far into the establishment of Christianity. It begins by examining the foundation from which almost all religious devotions originate; their Holy Book. In this context The Bible, we see that this text forms a perspective on almost all facets of an individual's life. Relationships, neighbors, property and so on. How convenient it is that 'proper' ways of living are already set before the birth of our friends, our family, ourselves. All that was left to instill these ways of life, corinthians as some of them are referred, was an institution. A guardian to ensure their survival. It goes without saying these guardians, taking the form of the Catholic Church and its devoted servants, succeeded. The proof births in the numerous values shared among countless generations preceding the birth of the Millennial. Their devotion to Sunday services. Their belief of Christianity mothering her children, Morality and Righteousness. Their vision of the gates of St. Peter extending an invitation to those of well-lived lives and unwavering conviction. For the generations of 'In God We Trust', these practices and beliefs were their way of maintaining that devotion, that promise. Then the Millennial arrived.
Marking its arrival in the mid 1970's, and to continue its span till 20 some odd years later, a transformation would be born. This Milennial-led transformation would acknowledge the conventional practices that had been the status quo in years past, and rise to challenge them. Services becoming less crowded, prayers losing their breath over meals, comforting visions of heaven gradually becoming a discredited fantasy. As time continues to pass, the presence of this transformation becomes more evident. We no longer begin Sunday mornings communing with our pastor, rather dread the beginning of a new work week. We no longer pause for prayers over meals, rather scour food labels promising gluten and GMO free ingredients. We no longer tell the tale of heaven and all its promises as a reward for a fruitful life, rather dismiss it as an artificial construction. We've become a constant 'why?'', ''how could you know?'', a creeping crack in what was once engraved in stone.
Yet for all the centuries organized religion has successfully indoctrinated primal generations, why has it begun in modern times to significantly decline? The answer in part lies within the question itself. Modernity. The practice of contemporary living and ideals complementing progressive times. It goes without saying that primitive creations can only thrive so much, subjected to the limitations of a modernizing world. For the sake of their longevity, creations lacking an innate sense of adaptation must either evolve or fade. Now more than ever, organized religion shoulders the burden of altering its foundational teachings to evolving values or face losing its place among humankind.
This retreat from religious devotion within the Millennial community paves the path away from past generational traditions, and to what can now be observed as a new movement; individual empowerment. Religion in relation to millennials often doesn't serve as a guide, but instead is transformed as an incentive for one's own empowerment. Through this transformation, religion's identity becomes malleable and grows more spiritual than ever. Unlike our generational predecessors, religion has become spiritually customized for each different individual. We no longer look outwards to our pastors and religious institutions, but turn our gaze inward, seeking counsel from within. To put it into perspective, why pray for more self-discipline regarding study habits when you can simply request for ''Jesus to take the wheel?'' With each Millennial finding their own meaning in their spirituality, religion's unison vision becomes increasingly fractured. This only contributes to the rapid millennial-led transformation of how religion holds not the original values taught by its institutional guardians, but each individual's own morals. As the years continue to grow, with each individual siding with spirituality rather organized religion, this evolving transformation lives on. And so like the many revolutionists that have become before us, we move forward, breathing new meaning into one of man's oldest creations.
