{"id":22675,"date":"2025-04-17T21:00:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T21:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=22675"},"modified":"2025-04-17T21:00:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T21:00:29","slug":"more-americans-seeking-spirituality-outside-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/more-americans-seeking-spirituality-outside-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"More Americans Seeking Spirituality Outside the Church"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new Cornell-led study finds a notable transformation in American religious life, with many leaving organized religion not to abandon their faith, but to seek spirituality that better aligns with their individual values.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American religious life is undergoing a &#8220;remarkable&#8221; transformation, according to new research led by Cornell University. The study, <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/23780231251327442\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, reveals that a significant number of people are leaving organized religion, not in favor of secular rationality, but to explore spirituality that aligns more closely with their personal values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This trend is part of broader social changes that emphasize individual fulfillment and self-discovery. These include evolving views on gender and sexuality and an increasingly connected world courtesy of the internet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shift spans political views and represents a pushback against what many perceive as increasingly bureaucratic, rigid and political religious organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;People aren&#8217;t leaving religious institutions passively or only because of partisan politics, but because of more deeply held values \u2013 about the sacredness of the individual, their concern for others and feeling that their participation in an institution doesn&#8217;t align with being the type of person they want to be,&#8221; first author Landon Schnabel, an associate professor of sociology in Cornell&#8217;s College of Arts and Sciences, said in a news release. &#8220;They&#8217;re more intentionally choosing to follow what they really believe in.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study highlighted the rise of religious &#8220;nones&#8221; \u2013 individuals who claim no religious affiliation. In just a few decades, the proportion of nones in the United States has jumped from 1 in 20 to more than 1 in 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To better understand this shift, the researchers leveraged a nationally representative study that tracked teenagers as they came of age in the early 21st century, a period marked by significant social values changes and technological and economic upheaval. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over a decade, more than 1,300 participants from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) completed surveys detailing their religious practices and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The findings revealed that institutional aspects of religion declined much faster than individual faith and spirituality. While religious attendance dropped sharply and prayer frequency dipped but then leveled off, there was a growing gap between institutional engagement and personal practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Religious affiliation saw a steep decline while belief in God remained steady. Support for proselytism dropped by nearly 10%, and meditation practice saw equivalent growth, marking it as the only variable to increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study also noted that declines in religious attendance and affiliation were more pronounced among liberal participants, including those who endorsed same-sex marriage and abortion rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there were declines among moderates and conservatives as well, &#8220;suggesting broad change across this cohort,&#8221; the authors wrote,\u00a0regardless of gender, race, class and sexual orientation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interviews conducted with some study participants revealed a recurring theme of dissonance between individuals&#8217; values and those of institutions perceived to prioritize doctrine and finances over moral conviction and authenticity. This has driven many on a dynamic search for alternative ways to find spirituality, meaning and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe move away from organized religion doesn\u2019t look like kind of the pure material secularism that some people thought,\u201d Schnabel added. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t reflect disenchantment with the world, but re-enchantment through something other than church.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study was co-authored by Ilana Horwitz, an assistant professor of Jewish studies at\u00a0Tulane University, Peyman Hekmatpour,\u00a0a teaching assistant professor of sociology at\u00a0Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, and Cyrus Schleifer, an associate professor of sociology at the\u00a0University of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2025\/04\/diy-religion-more-americans-finding-faith-outside-church\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Cornell University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American religious life is undergoing a &#8220;remarkable&#8221; transformation, according to new research led by Cornell University. The study, published in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, reveals that a significant number of people are leaving organized religion, not in favor of secular rationality, but to explore spirituality that aligns more closely with their personal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[208,307,75,237],"class_list":["post-22675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-people-culture","tag-cornell-university","tag-oklahoma-state-university-tulsa","tag-tulane-university","tag-university-of-oklahoma"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"American religious life is undergoing a &#8220;remarkable&#8221; transformation, according to new research led by Cornell University. The study, published in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, reveals that a significant number of people are leaving organized religion, not in favor of secular rationality, but to explore spirituality that aligns more closely with their personal&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22675"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22687,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22675\/revisions\/22687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}