Sunday Reflections: DIY Religion

By Pastor Dai Morgan, ,

A recent Gallup poll revealed that when the vast majority of Americans are asked the question, “Do you believe in God?” 92 percent answer “yes.”

When the question is modified to include belief in God or a “Universal Spirit,” the affirmative response increases to 98 percent. 

Gallup began measuring Americans’ belief in God in 1944. In that year, 96 percent responded with “yes.” Nearly 75 years later, it doesn’t look like things have changed much. At least, the overall degree of belief in God hasn’t changed appreciably. But, what Americans believe does appear to be changing.

George Barna is the founder of the Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in the study of the religious beliefs and practices of Americans. In his book Futurecast: what today’s trends mean for tomorrow’s world (2011 by Tyndale Publishing), Barna observes that religion, in popular culture, is becoming more idiosyncratic. He said, “We are a designer society. We want everything customized to our personal needs—our clothing, our food, our education.” He facetiously suggests that we might become a nation of 310 million people with 310 million religions.

This emerging attitude, among Americans, can be characterized as “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) religion. It has been suggested that this way of thinking can be attributed to such factors as our contemporary demand for instant gratification, abundance of self-help resources, overwhelmingly diverse options for entertainment, and high-volume throw-away mentality. All of which contribute to an attitude that “the world is made for my convenience.” Maybe, DIY religion is based on the postmodern thought that right and wrong are subjective and that everybody is right, in their own way. Maybe, the idea is a corruption of the American ideals of freedom, tolerance and self-reliance.

Whatever the reason, the effect is that many people, today, seem to be defining their religious ideas to fit their own personal preferences. One writer observed that if Kate Smith sang her famous anthem today, it would be called “Gods Bless America.” There is a tendency to pick and choose. Barna observes, “People say, ‘I believe in God. I believe the Bible is a good book. And then I believe whatever I want.’”

A consequence of DIY religion would seem to be a decrease in participation in established religions. In fact, most mainstream Christian denominations have been losing membership over recent decades. In tracking changes in the last 20 years, Futurecast states that all the major trend lines of religious belief and behavior run downward, except two:  1) More people claim they have accepted Jesus as their savior and expect to go to heaven. 2) More say they haven’t been to church in the past six months except for special occasions such as weddings or funerals. 

Americans’ belief in God and value for religion doesn’t seem to be changing. But, what people choose to believe and how they express it is changing, according to Barna. This is not only a Christian phenomenon, but is occurring in Judaism and also, say some observers, in Islam.   

This idea of Do-It-Yourself religion is an interesting observation of contemporary American thinking. I thought the idea to be significant enough to make it the subject of today’s Sunday Reflection. As a pastor, I have observed this way of thinking. In the big picture, I am not worried and do not feel threatened by it. The Christian faith has been around for 2,000 years and weathered many storms. In fact, I am inclined to think that any interest in the nature of God and “ultimate concern” is a good thing.

However, we are in the middle of a cultural change regarding the institution of religion. In our own neighborhoods, a number of churches have closed during the past few years. Many are downsizing. A major question among Church leaders is how to adapt to the changing culture.

Is the issue of DIY religious thinking really an element in the current decline in traditional church participation? Or, is it a non-issue. Frankly, I do not know. What do you think?