The Challenge of Religious Formation in Modern America

The American Enterprise Institute recently released a study on the historic ebb and flow of religion in the United States which demonstrated, surprisingly, that the only clear driver that could be established for the long-term decline in Christian religious observance in the U.S. in the twentieth century was increased spending on public primary education. Apparently, rising urbanization, higher income, greater educational attainment, increased population diversity, or any other commonly cited cause of secularization, had little effect on rates of church attendance.

Effectively, the report, which is based on the innovative work of Iannaccone and Franck, indicates that it all comes down to what a person is taught early in life that is the most important factor.  So what has been happening in public schools and why does it have such an impact on later church attendance?

Public Education

Since 1948, the Supreme Court has taken the position that religious instruction or observance in public schools violates the Constitution.  Thus, public schools, which once provided denominational religious education, have gradually been stripped of this function.  At the same time, spending on public education, and therefore the reach of the public school system in terms of student enrollment and time in the classroom, has significantly increased. Since 1900, the number of annual school days has risen from roughly 100 to 180. During the same period, the rate of enrollment of school-aged children in public educational institutions has increased from 45% to over 90%.  As such, over time, the public school system has become much more of a determining factor in shaping values and mores in the U.S. than it was in the past.

But why should public school have such an effect on whether or not people attend religious services later in life?  Basically, it is because of the way in which God made the human brain to work.

Two Pathways to Understanding

Two fields of research that can shed light on this question are the psychology of childhood religious development and social psychology.  As the name states, the psychology of childhood religious development looks largely at how children and adolescents start to understand religion and to develop a religious identity.  Social psychology examines how and why humans develop and maintain social connections within the context of how the brain functions.

In the field of the psychology of childhood religious development, certain researchers, such as Fowler, Ericson and Boyzatis, place a high degree of emphasis on the importance of relationships and environment in shaping religious identity.  Fowler argues that trust, loyalty and confidence begin to coalesce around what are termed centers of value, such as religion.  Importantly, the centers of value to which children are drawn are largely determined by relationships.

Thus, a child will begin to gravitate toward the same centers of value as those around him or her. This view is confirmed by Ericson, who argues that children focus on learning skills that are valued by society.  Boyzatis, comes at it from a slightly different angle, arguing that children are inherently spiritual and that this religious inclination is shaped by environment.

Social but Secular

Based upon the work of these researchers, there is a case to be made that children’s religious development is largely molded by outside influences, especially interpersonal relationships.  Social psychology provides the answer as to why relationships and environment have such an impact on children’s religious formation.

In essence, what social psychology has discovered is that the human brain is hardwired for social interaction as an absolute necessity for survival.  Given that exclusion from the group meant almost certain death for early humans, the brain has developed mechanisms to reinforce the importance of building and maintaining relationships.  For this reason, social activity registers in the brain in the same way as does eating chocolate and loss of a relationship is felt in a similar manner to physical pain.

Combining these two fields of study, what becomes clear is that religious development in children is largely driven by outside influences and that the brain is hardwired to give great importance to them.  Effectively, as children seek groups and identity, they will gravitate toward those centers of value that seem to provide approval and protection.  In public schools, where most children in the US spend a large portion of their time (6.64 hours a day, on average), religion is not presented as one of these centers.  Thus other centers of value are offered at a key time of development, and apparently, children’s identities start to coalesce around these non-religious poles.

Outside of the classroom, American children’s time is increasingly monopolized by the Internet. The average 8-12 year-old in the U.S. spends 4 hours and 45 minutes per day online and the average teen 7 hours and 22 minutes.  As such, there is little time or mind space left for religious growth.

Implications for Catholic Formation

So what does all of this mean for the religious formation of Catholic children?  Effectively, the answer is that it is up to their parents to help them to understand the faith without the assistance of the public school system. Further, their faith development must happen in an environment that is highly competitive for children’s limited mind space.  In this respect, the silver lining of the current pandemic is that children will probably not go back to school for the remainder of the year, so parents have a unique window of opportunity in terms of helping their children’s growth and faith formation.

Better still, the research indicates that mothers and fathers are the most important drivers in terms of shaping values and faith in their children. To this point, academic, Jeremy Ueker, found in 2008 that parental religiosity is the most important determinant in terms of transferring religious commitment from generation to generation.

Psychology tells us that children are looking for symbols, tools and points of reference with which to make sense of the world. The data show that that they are increasingly overwhelmed by its complexity, uncertainty and pressures.  In 2010, the American Psychological Association reported concerning levels of anxiety among children between the ages of 8 and 17. One in three adolescents in the US reported stress-related headaches and 44% reported having difficulty sleeping. This anxiety seems to be manifesting in rising rates of depression. The Pew Research Center found in 2019 that 20% of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 have reported major depressive episodes. Based on the numbers, there is a strong case to be made for sharing religious beliefs with children, which has been demonstrated to increase happiness, general life satisfaction and school performance. This point was succinctly made in a recent Wall Street Journal article.

Caught Not Taught

Trying to explain the faith is not easy and takes commitment, but it does not require an advanced theological degree; it merely takes the courage to overcome the apparent fear that many Catholic parents feel about discussing religious matters. From what psychology makes clear, much of the teaching happens in observation, so at the most basic level, words are not even required. If something appears meaningful to parents, children will tend to emulate it and be drawn to the same center of value, particularly if they feel that it attaches them to a group that makes them feel safe and nurtured.

This being the case, it is important that children understand that faith plays a role in the lives of their parents and that it is part of the family dynamic. It is all the more impactful when children attend mass and feel welcomed and cherished. But even if it is just a prayer before bedtime, or explaining some basic Bible stories, it all makes a difference.  Given the stress under which many parents find themselves, it is not surprising that they have neither the time nor the inclination to try to inculcate in their offspring the teachings of the Church, but a few minutes is all that it takes.

Given what the collective research makes clear, in one sense, the stakes could not be higher when it comes to children receiving some grounding in the faith. But in another way, it may not matter that much in terms of the numbers. Iannaccone and Franck only measured public school spending against attendance at religious services, not belief in God. A recent Barna study revealed that 65% of members of Generation Z, born between 1999 and 2015, are theists. This is only 5% lower than Millennials and 10% below Generation X. So there is no imminent collapse in religious belief in the US.

The Truth Sets Us Free

But beyond the numbers is a much more pressing issue. Providing children with access to the depth and beauty of the faith gives them the basis for understanding what the Greek philosophers deemed ultimate truth. It provides them with a measuring stick with which to differentiate true value from the dross in life such that they can begin to form a sense of self apart from the banality of social media and a virtually-lived existence. It puts them on the path to receive the wisdom that Christ promises through the Holy Spirit that they might find their true selves and realize their individual callings on this earth.  Most importantly, it gives them an unclouded lens through which to see and to try to comprehend the majesty of God and the assurance of God’s love.

If the starting point in presenting the faith to children is not readily apparent, rest in Christ’s promise to “seek and you will find…ask and it will be given.” Because in the final analysis, it is less about the children of today sitting in church pews in twenty years’ time and more about giving them their collective due – their true inheritance – a masterpiece of infinite beauty that is 2,000 years in the making, God’s very own heart as revealed through the Church on earth that provides balm for the soul and illumination to the mind that only real truth and infinite love can offer.