"Data from 30 years of the General Social Survey pinpoints age 22 as the point in the life course when average levels of weekly or more frequent church attendance are at their lowest (17 percent). The climb back into regular or semi-regular religious practice--if it occurs at all, and it usually does--is often stimulated by marriage and childbearing. How Corrosive is College to Religious Faith and Practice?

This doesn't surprise me in the least. Ever go to church these days? Ever been to a MegaChurch? An Evangelical Church? It's depressing. Its damnation and you're bad this and shame on you that. And its down with the gays and no sex for anyone. To a 20 something this message is BS. The same survey says 19% strongly believed that homosexuality was morally wrong. Chances are those same 19% are the ones going to church on a simi-regular basis.

According to Maddie Lear of GirlHeadQuarters.com (a teen based blog site that address every issue under the sun and is geared toward teenage girls)

"it seems as though if you believe in god, read the bible, and go to church that you are automatically an evangelist Jerry Falwell, who hates all, killing people in "god's name." I finally know now that that is not true at all. For a while I didn't know if it was okay to believe in something. That there was no medium. That if I believed in god or jesus, and read the bible, that I was a crazy mean person of whom my parents wouldn't approve. But, if I went the other way then I might not be atheist per se, but still deprived of believing."

We all know that the right wing is screwing young people out of a future of a clean environment, a solid economy, peace, a good education, and the like - and the conservative churches are laying the path to their victory.

We're not stupid. A majority of the Gen M people see through the God guise and understand that it's an extremist sect of wackos. But look at poor Maddie. She has been frightened away from the church. These people are scaring people away - and if your point is to bring people to live a life of service and good works and talk about a Prince of Peace... dude...

So after years of safety and security (ideally) under the rule of our parents - our culture craves freedom, experience, and boldness is a cultural norm. The hard nosed, traditional structure of organized religion is as distant as parental influence.

Only further in life, following the debauchery, the experiences, the drama, and scandal do we start to settle down. And after years of losing jobs, losing loves, losing friends or death of family do we begin to look for security again - stability - comfort -structure. Is that why we are seeing a generation of pot smoking, acid dropping, flower children and x-hippies turning into Republicans?

What ever happened to that peace and justice movement where being a person of faith meant doing good works and helping the poor? According to Theocracy Watch "Today's hard right seeks total dominion. It's packing the courts and rigging the rules. The target is not the Democrats but democracy itself."

Is the absence of progressive youth and fearful old school activists what is allowing the church to turn? After all, Church is a business, isn't it? It needs its bling - don't matter who is going to buy it.

And lately we've seen a radical increase in Evangelical Churches, Conservative Christian Churches, and Assemblies of God (according to these guys). And apparently the drastic decline is in more progressive churches like Episcopal, United Methodist, and yep... even these guys. But there has been quite the influx of MegaChurch-ism. There are over 330 Baptist Churches - compare that to one Quaker! Prince of Peace?

If the progressive youth and the activists moved back into the church would there be an uprising of more progressive friendly activities and policy?

So its no wonder the 18-30 gen is more progressive and the old fogies are more conservative. I guess we all just have to help each other going forward to make sure that we don't stray into the divisive world of Evangelical Republicanism and start talking in tongues from the Senate floor.

Peace be with you.