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http://screencast.com/t/isKHGHHN
46/50 (-3 for no LOI highlighted & -1 for paragraphs not numbered)
Sara Landry
J. Coco
English 1001, Sec 64
30 November 2015
Preface
Audience: Young adults who are beginning to question their faith and parents of those adults who
raised their children to be religious and dont understand why they have changed.
I think my biggest strength in this paper is how I incorporated my evidence from my sources. I
hope that it sounds good and coherent, I am worried that some of what I say may be repetitive,
but I couldnt think of what else to say.
My biggest weakest is trying to expand on new ideas. I feel that my ideas are what people
already think about when they think of atheism, but I am having difficulty coming up with other
points to bring up on the topic.
Why is Religion Disappearing?
Religion, the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a
personal God or gods, is one of the foundations on which the United States was built upon. So
why has this country been one of the largest countries seeing a decrease in religion importance
and the rise of atheism? As a society, citizens have many influences, whether it be social media,
celebrities, music, movies, or television in which help shape individuals values and beliefs. So is
this what has caused the change of claiming to be religious?
The entire concept of religion has changed since what people once thought it represented.
Dr. Gordon, associate professor of communication and preaching, says that when Americans are
asked, Are you more religious? the answer may be that [they are] not religious or as religious
or more religious but [they are] spiritual (Morrison). Spiritual or being spiritual is usually

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associated with faith, but it means relating to religion or religious beliefs. Which suggests that a
person may believe in a God or gods, but may not be fully participating in the religion.
According to a survey taking by Gallup International the number of people claiming to be
religious fell from 77% to 68% between 2005 and 2011, while those who self-identified as
atheist rose by 3% bringing the worlds estimated proportion of adamant non-believers to
13%. This shows that atheism is constantly rising, however; atheism is not only increasing, but
becoming one of the largest groups in the United States.
People are moving away from religion towards atheism. However, Dr. Meyers shows
that the latest Pew poll shows that [atheist are] the most distrusted group in America, and
Americans would be less likely to support a Godless presidential candidate than an unfaithful or
a pot-smoking one. Why do people distrust atheist or non-believers? Is it because they are
moving away from the norm or because this group is bringing about new ways of thinking?
Technology also plays a major role in the growth of atheism and a reason why believers distrust
them. Anyone from three years old to the elderly can access and work technology. The internet,
which is home to millions of ideas from Baptist, to Catholics, to Atheist, allows millions of
people to view these ideas and in turn form their own beliefs or opinions, and many people tend
to be in favor for atheists way of thinking and that is partially why they are increasing
throughout society (Meyers).
Many young adults are not only influenced by technology, but also by their peers.
Technology allows people to connect with each other and allows children/ young adults access to
more information in which they begin to form their own values earlier in life than once before.
Myers brings up that many people who thought they were alone in their god-fearing
communities discovered that there is a thriving culture of free thought online, and acquired a new

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confidence to come out and join in the conversation. The internet is a platform for children to
turn too to look for guidance when they feel alone. As Meyers said, they find many people
asking the same questions and they can gain confidence because they have supporters on what
may be a controversial issue. This is another reason why young people find atheism to be cool
because it is gaining popularity in the US not only in older generations, but it is also becoming
very familiar to the younger generations.
Not only is religion an issue nationwide, but many professors are starting to see conflicts
rising on college campuses. Csillag in A Place for Atheism at a Catholic College? explains
how professors are noting the privileges to being Christian and disadvantages to being anything
but that on American college campuses. A course at the University of Toronto, taught by
Reverend Scott Lewis and three other scholars examines the increasing polarization between
non-believers and people of faith, [the course] will not be about confronting secularists or
engaging in polemics (Csillag). This course will give students a solid, respectful platform to
discuss the difference between both beliefs, but also allow them both to see the perspectives off
each other.
However, there is privilege for those that are believers on college campuses, specifically
for Christian believers. Dr. Riswold, in her research documented in Teaching the College
'Nones': Christian Privilege and the Religion Professor, encourages teachers and scholars to
become allies with students who are not a part of this privilege group of students (139). She
says to be an ally to each and to all of these students means to equip them to navigate these
relationships and this environment effectively (139). When she says relationships, she is
referring to students of other religious backgrounds being able to openly discuss those
backgrounds and understand their differences.

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I agree that Christians do always have the more positive advantage just because they are a part of
the majority. Dr. Riswold also says that teachers, by working in a curriculum made up of mainly
of young adults, get to see the change of values in their students whether it be politically,
culturally, or religiously. She also labels students with the word nones which symbolizes those
people who do not claim to be affiliated with any religion (134).

Focus 4 / Org. 3 / Devel. 3 / MLA 4 / Audience 4

Works Cited
Morrison, Patt. Is Atheism Gaining Popularity In America and Beyond?. 89.3 KPCC. Southern
Carolina Public Radio, 2015. Web. 17 Nov 2015. http://www.scpr.org.
Nuwer, Rachel. Atheism is on the rise around the world, so does that mean spirituality will soon
be a thing of the past?. BBC. BBC, 19 Dec 2014. Web. Nov 17 2015.
http://www.bbc.com.
Meyers, PZ. Even an Increasingly Godless America Doesnt Trust an Atheist to Run the
Country. Time. N.p., 22 May 2014. Web. 18 Nov 2015. http://time.com.
Csillag, Ron. A Place for Atheism at a Catholic College?. Washington Post. N.p., 25 Jan 2015.
Web. 18 Nov 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com.
Riswold, Caryn D. "Teaching The College 'Nones': Christian Privilege And The Religion
Professor." Teaching Theology & Religion 18.2 (2015): 133. Publisher Provided Full Text
Searching File. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

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Wallace, John M., Jr., et al. "Religion And U.S. Secondary School Students: Current Patterns,
Recent Trends, And Sociodemographic Correlates." Youth & Society 35.1 (2003): 98-125.
ERIC. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.