Young adults......

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jason3477

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I think that a lot of young adults either:
  1. go to the Catholic Church/parishes either off and on or faithfully
  2. or they don’t go to any church at all…or they might visit a mega-church for a little while…
So what do you think about young adults today???
 
Yup, they always, sometimes, or never go to church. I think that pretty much sums the situation right up 🙂
 
Yep, I agree. They either stay very faithful and go each weekend or they only go on holidays (or when they are home from college 'cause Mom and Dad say so). They may bop around to other religious beliefs for a bit, though. I know that many go through the “oprah/new age/etc” stuff.
 
I think a lot of young adults don’t understand the Catholic faith.
I think religion is a subject young adults need to take.
Just like, any other school subject, religion is different for school children and young adults.
Young adults don’t do mathematics the same as they did when they were young school children.
But I think a lot of young adults do religion the same as they did when they were a lot younger, and look at the Mass as a young child does.
They need to be taught over again.
 
runningdude said:
Yup, they always, sometimes, or never go to church. I think that pretty much sums the situation right up 🙂
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:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

That was what I was thinking when I first read it.

I am a young adult and I would honestly say that it is a time when many stray from the faith. It is not necessarily that they don’t continue, but, rather, that they never really knew their faith or what it truly means. I can attest to my lack of education in the Catholic faith, which stems from my parents lack of education in the Catholic faith. I only truly grew in the understanding of my faith when I took took the initiative, which is how it should probably be. The only problem is we are flooded with so many things that religion often can fall on the priority list.
 
As a 21 year old I am pretty young… It’s been pretty similar for me. I was very regular in attending mass at first but when life got busier with college, I stopped attending mass or being very prayerful… but now I have begun to be more sincere in my faith and more earnest in trying to learn and be educated about things that I don’t understand. :o
 
I think that if we set a good example for them and continue to pray for them, they will be OK. Bless you. Brenda:cool:👍
 
jason3477 said:
I think that a lot of young adults either:
  1. go to the Catholic Church/parishes either off and on or faithfully
  2. or they don’t go to any church at all…or they might visit a mega-church for a little while…
So what do you think about young adults today???
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As a young adult (20), I agree. But it’s not entirely the fault of people my age. I think that we need to focus more as a church on providing resources and proper catechesis to those who are in college and just starting to live their own lives. We focus so much on helping children and teenagers in middle and high school, but it seems like once you graduate, that’s it.

The first years after high school are some of the most critical in a person’s life and have a strong effect on how that person will see and define themselves for the rest of their lives. Without some kind of strong example, many young Catholics simply fall away. It’s irresponsible of us to ignore this demographic. We’re not children, but we’re not adults either. Some of us are blessed enough to have a mature faith, but 99% of us aren’t, so why are we expected to make the jump from confirmation class to a pious, faithful adulthood all by ourselves??? Especially when so many young adults fall away at this age because they had poor catechesis as children!

I know from personal experience that FOCUS is doing a fantastic job. Their missionaries teach solid, orthodox teaching while providing it in such a way that makes it engaging for young adults. FOCUS is still a pretty young organization, but it’s growing, and I pray it’ll continue until it’s in every university in America!
 
acarlson said:
As a young adult (20), I agree. But it’s not entirely the fault of people my age. I think that we need to focus more as a church on providing resources and proper catechesis to those who are in college and just starting to live their own lives. We focus so much on helping children and teenagers in middle and high school, but it seems like once you graduate, that’s it.

The first years after high school are some of the most critical in a person’s life and have a strong effect on how that person will see and define themselves for the rest of their lives. Without some kind of strong example, many young Catholics simply fall away. It’s irresponsible of us to ignore this demographic. We’re not children, but we’re not adults either. Some of us are blessed enough to have a mature faith, but 99% of us aren’t, so why are we expected to make the jump from confirmation class to a pious, faithful adulthood all by ourselves??? Especially when so many young adults fall away at this age because they had poor catechesis as children!

I know from personal experience that FOCUS is doing a fantastic job. Their missionaries teach solid, orthodox teaching while providing it in such a way that makes it engaging for young adults. FOCUS is still a pretty young organization, but it’s growing, and I pray it’ll continue until it’s in every university in America!
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At my parish, I think that there is a group that meets periodically that is for ages 21-35 (or something like that) so I think that would be something like what you are saying. I have not yet attended, because I have been out of town since being old enough, but if I am not mistaken, they get together to eat or do some other activity and have a chosen topic to discuss.

Also isn’t there something called the Newman center on university campuses? Mine doesn’t have one but it sounds like it’s doing a pretty good job.

I have never heard of FOCUS. I will have to look them up with google.
 
karebear92 said:
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
That was what I was thinking when I first read it.
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🙂
karebear92 said:
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
I am a young adult and I would honestly say that it is a time when many stray from the faith. It is not necessarily that they don’t continue, but, rather, that they never really knew their faith or what it truly means. I can attest to my lack of education in the Catholic faith, which stems from my parents lack of education in the Catholic faith…]
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As a not so young, young adult (23), I got involved a few years back with a non-denominational Christian organization with in school, in part because the catholic campus ministry was not doing much. I can’t say it damaged my faith, as I was fortunate to have a strong background from my parents, and a strong attachment to the Eucharist.

However, my involvement may have helped a close friend of mine stray from the Catholic faith, as he didn’t understand the differences of authentic Catholicism and Christianity outside of the Church. I did my best to fill in the gaps, and both of our faith in God grew, but this “spiritual wondering” among youth can be harmful when it leads to indifference to the true Church.
acarlson said:
As a young adult (20), I agree. But it’s not entirely the fault of people my age. I think that we need to focus more as a church on providing resources and proper catechesis to those who are in college and just starting to live their own lives.
…]
I know from personal experience that FOCUS is doing a fantastic job. Their missionaries teach solid, orthodox teaching while providing it in such a way that makes it engaging for young adults. FOCUS is still a pretty young organization, but it’s growing, and I pray it’ll continue until it’s in every university in America!
Click to expand...
When FOCUS came to campus my senior year, it was incredible. While the non-denom group merely didn’t damage my faith personally, FOCUS helped it grow tremendously! It got me involved in the Rosary, and strengthened my devotion to Mary and understanding the Bible from a Catholic perspective (see my signature!).

A friend of mine, who admittedly is the girl 😉 that both my other friend and myself originally kind of followed into the non-denomination group, is now training to be a missionary for FOCUS. This is really an organization that needs our prayers to spread and grow!
 
I think most follow their parents example. Faithful parents go weekly - so will their kids. Some parents go occasionally - so will their kids. Some parents only go for Christmas and Easter - so will their kids. And some parents never go - their kids won’t go either.

But sometimes kids don’t follow their parents example.
 
I’m disappointed with the majority of “Catholic” teenagers and young adults. They don’t take their faith seriously. I know many many people who simply got confirmed because everyone in my class did. They don’t care. I’d say I’m one of the few young adults (16) who actually cares about their faith :confused:
 
Why do they dissaper after confirmation?

My Mom always took me to church when I was young/little-allthough it was an american-not southern-baptist church. my Dad was Catholic but he never went to Mass or nothing like that…

But God writes straight with crooked lines, and after being in the baptist church I went to some mega-churches and then I finally ivestigated my religious roots and came Home to the Catholi Church…
 
jason3477 said:
I think that a lot of young adults either:
  1. go to the Catholic Church/parishes either off and on or faithfully
  2. or they don’t go to any church at all…or they might visit a mega-church for a little while…
So what do you think about young adults today???
Click to expand...
As Director Catechetical Ministry, I think many of us tend to forget something about many young adults (21-35) and teenagers (13-19). Many of them do not have a strong tie to the faith because many of their parents were not really raised in the faith whole-heartedly,if you know what I mean? Many smply go through the motions and faith is barely on the surface. Scond, many are in the age where they attracted to materialism and relativism. I remember being in my early 20’s and mid-20’s and not really focus on my faith.

Not until I reached my late 20’s did I begin to mature and understand the importance of God in our daily lives. Third, I have learned many leave but eventually do return,regardless what age they might be. I have had mature adults in their 30’s,40’s,50’s and even 60+ cry on the phone telling me why they left and now want to return after so many years. So let us be patient and pray for them. God will touch their hearts sometime in their lives regardless at what age.
 
As a young adult I’d like to state (hopefully without coming off as being boastful) that I go to Mass at least once a week and daily when possible. I try to pray the rosary and the office daily and I love going to adoration. I think that sometimes people are a little unfair toward people in my age range (20 - 30). There are a good number of us younger folks who take our faith very seriously, though we are certainly a minority where I live.

I will grant that from what I’ve seen the majority of my peers do not go to church except on Christmas or if they’re getting married. It’s really quite sad and I wish I knew what the solution was that would show them the importance of actually practicing your faith. It seems like most of my peers consider themselves to be faithful Catholics, Protestants, etc. but they treat their religion more like an ethnic or cultural trait than actual faith.

The biggest problem I think isn’t even the rise of secularism, but rather it is that people have more or less created their own religions. Many of my peers pick and choose ideas from the various religious traditions and combine them into an individualistic faith with only one member, themselves. So for instance I know people who claim to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, while also believing in reincarnation, and sometimes dabbling in Wiccan/New Age practices. They tend to have a very superficial understanding of these differing doctrines and don’t seem to understand how incongruent these beliefs are with one another, nor do they actually place much stock in any one particular belief. They drop old beliefs and pick up new ones as their mood dictates on any given day.

I’ve tried to gently point out to friends of mine who fall under that category how shallow their “spirituality” is. How they have no faith community to buoy them up in difficult times, nor any authority to assure them they are correct other than themselves. That they have in fact made themselves God by declaring that they are the sole judge of what is right or wrong. I often find that the only common denominator among people with these sorts of mixed beliefs is that they all think that pretty much everyone goes to Heaven immediately upon dying. A few think that perhaps horrible monsters like Hitler might go to hell, but for the most part they just assume that what they and others do in this life doesn’t matter much. Also, their notions of what Heaven will be like is usually a hedonist’s wet dream. Pretty much Heaven to them is a world of vice without consequence and without end. It’s really quite sad.

Anyway, I’ve gotten a little off topic here. Sorry. But despite all of my complaining and worrying about many of my peers and their shallow “spirituality”, I still insist that there are many younger folks who are serious about their faith. I see more and more kids my age or even a little younger on fire with the Holy Spirit and working hard to live by the Gospel. I just hope this becomes more common in the coming years.
 
jtodisco said:
The biggest problem I think isn’t even the rise of secularism, but rather it is that people have more or less created their own religions. Many of my peers pick and choose ideas from the various religious traditions and combine them into an individualistic faith with only one member, themselves. So for instance I know people who claim to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, while also believing in reincarnation, and sometimes dabbling in Wiccan/New Age practices. They tend to have a very superficial understanding of these differing doctrines and don’t seem to understand how incongruent these beliefs are with one another, nor do they actually place much stock in any one particular belief. They drop old beliefs and pick up new ones as their mood dictates on any given day.
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Are you not fond of the Wiccareincarchristian religion? I know what you mean. I see this often as well. Like they will say: “I truly believe I was a painter in a past life.” But then they go to Mass and say that they are Catholic.
 
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