Summary
Today, young people are believed to be spiritual and not religious, especially in Western society. It states that people are supposed to fashion a unique relationship with God without belonging to a specific religious group. Research states that young people’s prayer life is improving, but the impact on religion is lacking. Being spiritual is no longer related to God but a process of self-realization. The terms of the growth are not guided by the religious setting but conform to the person’s flexible terms and what they choose to be religious without the church.
Hazel Motes was one of the activists who fought against the church and vowed to form an institution without Christ. The movement believed that the deaf should stay deaf, the blind should not see, and the dead do not come to life. The concepts of hope were regarded as fallacies made for those who believe, but the concept of Christ was untrue. Over the centuries, young people have adopted the concepts without their knowledge as they continually want to be free from the church. Being saved without the cross and having hope without Christ.
Young people are Apathetic to tradition and believe that there is a need for progress and change. According to Requiem for the nun, he believed that the past is the present, and without it, there is no future. Hence, there is no tomorrow without tradition. Tradition brings meaning to what is available and a collection of ideas that have been proven to work with time. The young people question tradition and require change, yet; the truth is already found—the living tradition of the word of God and the people that have experienced it in time.
Personal Insight
I agree with the writer on the truth of the word of God, which has been proven to work. The young people are looking for a way out of tradition, yet tradition is the foundation of their faith. There cannot exist faith without the church nor their faith without the belief of life after death. According to Hazel Motes, the deaf remain deaf, and the dead remain not alive. The concept does not translate into any form of faith but a lost generation and without meaning.
Initially, there was a movement based on science and logic; hence, there was no higher being. Many of the concepts were proven by science, and hence, religion is still not believed by young people who are energetic, seeking the truth. Nonetheless, the world is changing as science is setting in; the only moral standing in the society is the church. There are so many evils and unhealthy competition which erodes the moral of the people. The young people are being drawn into different vices every day with a promise of money, status, and fame. Therefore, there is a need to turn back to the church and remind ourselves what the word of God states.
There can never be a separation of the church from tradition and religion. The young people are versatile, society is also changing, but the truth of God is static. Hence, in the changing world with one concept that has stood the test of time and age, people start demanding change. The young people are excited about the change; the concept of tradition is not attractive, hence looking for meaning in other ideologies. The book’s writing is correct to criticize the current concept of young people being spiritual without being religious, as there can never be true without religion and no Christ without a church.