The Fallout of Beliefs

Why do people believe? Why do they have faith if they are going to lose track and sight of what they once had? The answer is simple and is located in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been will be again, what has been doing will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This verse is saying that whatever happens to something that was good, than it’ll come again.  It is often believed that high school students are more known for losing their faith, compared to college. This is an inappropriate accusation because it provides false information. Statistics and studies have shown that it is more common for students who leave for college to also leave track of their religious beliefs.

Statistics from Christianity Today (CT), proves that 34% of teens and highschool students drop their faith. It is believed that the rate is so low because they are surrounded by encouraging people who also believe the same things they do. However, the college rate for dropping their belief systems is greater, averaging at about 70%. This rate is much higher because this is the time in a young adult’s life where they start to venture out of their parents wings and start living independently.

High school, internships, jobs and parents don’t prepare kids enough for the journey that they are about to take. School prepares you for the workload that you are about to experience like, exams and benchmarks. Internships and jobs prepare you for responsibility and parents prepare you with the understanding and concept of living independently. Sadly though, these four things fail to teach young adults the importance of not losing yourself and who you are to others especially God or Gods.  

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (CPYU) is an organization who notes that 65% of students who graduate from high school and enroll for college drop out or leave their church. It is believed that students walk away because they are launched into the world facing new situations and temptations that they have never come face-to-face before.

Though it is predicted that the only reason that students tend to lose their faith is because of the new atmosphere they have moved to. Yes, this is an important aspect of the situation, it is not the only and main reason. A very knowledgeable point was made in One News Now, there they stated that students and young adults don’t make it a priority, implying that they don’t make it important or a priority to keep their faith.

If a student were asked, “Why did you lose your faith. What happened and what caused it?”  More often than not they would answer that it wasn’t intentional, but also it is important to point out that it was intensical to not lose their faith in the first place. A lot if  not all of college students get overwhelmed and tend to forget about certain things, like religious backgrounds and old friends.

Losing faith is common in all age groups, parents, kids, grandparents and adolescents. But, research show that it is more common for college aged students (ages 18-24) to drop or walk away from their faith. It can be a sour sight to see for that was part of who someone was, thankfully though, colleges have been noticing the drop of religious backgrounds. College took initiative to fix the problem and created support groups for different religions so they can feel more at home and not have to change who they once were.

Although some students who didn’t lose their faith in college might think that the topic of losing faith is irrelevant and unnecessary.It is important to remember that the  influence goes beyond them and can affect other students.

Citations:

Melleby, Derek. “Why Students Abandon Their Faith: Lessons From William Wilberforce.” CPYU, 13 June 2014, cpyu.org/resource/why-students-abandon-their-faith-lessons-from-william-wilberforce/.

Wermund, Benjamin, et al. “Losing Faith in Higher Education.” POLITICO, Pro Education, 11 May 2017, www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-education/2017/05/losing-faith-in-higher-education-220254.

Stetzer, Ed. “Dropouts and Disciples: How Many Students Are Really Leaving the Church?” The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer, 14 May 2014, 2:00, www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/may/dropouts-and-disciples-how-many-students-are-really-leaving.html.

“BibleGateway.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV - - Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes 1:9&version=NIV.

“OneNewsNow.com - Your News Right Now.” OneNewsNow.com - Your News Right Now, www.onenewsnow.com/.