The fact that 40 percent of Americans have switched their religious affiliation since childhood is a sign of health. As A Baptist who believes in soul liberty, absolute freedom of conscience, and the priesthood of every person of faith, I can only be encouraged that so many Americans, experiencing dissatisfaction with the religious tradition into which they were born, would feel the freedom and have the courage to change their personal religious allegiance to one they find more satisfying to their hearts and souls.
The only really true faith is the faith one voluntarily chooses for one’s own, not an inherited or imposed faith. I believe it was the great theologian and historian Jaroslav Pelikan who said, “Tradition is the living faith of the dead; Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”
If a person feels that he or she is trapped in “tradition,” he or she needs to seek a faith that fulfills their spiritual needs. It appears that vast numbers of Americans feel free to do just that. Good for them.
The fact that 40 percent of Americans have switched from the faith of their childhood or dropped out altogether is a symptom that major religious traditions in our society (The Mainline Protestants come to mind.) have lost enough vigor and vitality that hundreds of thousands of their members have sought spiritual nurturing and solace elsewhere.
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