Falling Away

A friend posted an article about a book which addresses the reason that many young Christians are falling away as having largely to do with Youth Groups making the faith about emotions, rather than dealing with hard questions.
My knee-jerk reaction was to comment, "Too little, too late."
You can read the article here.
The article speaks about  Nancy Pearcey and her book Finding Truth.
On the surface, the article seems to mull over some very important things in the development of a good Christian. That other Christians should not fear the doubts and challenging questions of other, younger developing Christians. If we teach them not to be afraid of counter ideologies, then they will not fall away.
Instead, they claim, the pastors and teachers of the young focus on the emotional high from worship or finding a new way of life, etc.
This, from a developmental standpoint is pretty good logic. If we, say, take this concept and apply it to young lovers, it would be very good that they understand that, at some point, the feelings change, but that doesn't negate the relationship, or the commitment they made.
However, if we delve into the deeper mentality, what we find is a rather more disturbing scrabbling fear.
This is not a book about reinforcing values and changing the way the faith is taught. It is a book about the realization that the religion is failing.
Young people, according to this article are, being shown too many challenging ideologies in school and those cause the child or young person to begin to doubt the meaningfulness of their faith, in the face of all the wonder of their education, which is cast as a bad thing.
My opinion is that this is rather less about not being prepared for the challenges faced in school and rather more about the reality of indoctrination.
Young people who are raised in strict Christian upbringings are indoctrinated from the outset that their faith is a way of life. They are not encouraged to ask certain questions. They are not welcome to go beyond certain boundaries. "Trust and Obey, for there's no other way."
Children are taught that, if they don't feel or think in a certain way, they are sinning. We know what sin leads to, as that, too, is drilled in from a very young age.
When a child goes to college, and is faced with the Real World of Truth and the wonderful things that exist beyond the faith, it's no wonder they begin to see the religion for what is truly is. The dogma of control disguised as hope.

This article and the book are a fundamental, although unintended admission about the reality of the faith. Beyond a certain point, many young people no longer believe, not because they haven't been indoctrinated enough, or indoctrinated incorrectly -- on the contrary, they're quite thorough with it -- but because in this world, young people want to see as much evidence as possible. They are sick of paying lip service to a dogma and ideology that doesn't value them as individuals, but as 'followers'. And this falling away threatens and frightens people like my friend and Ms. Pearcey, not because they are worried, ultimately, about the spiritual well being of young people, but because they are afraid they will be exposed for what is really happening. Young people are becoming too savvy to believe the nonsense drilled into them any longer.
And that means, that if this next generation is no longer falling for the ruse, the previous generation risk exposure for what they really are: participants in the greatest scam ever played on humanity.

The church is failing, but not in its providence of correct teaching, but because it fails to see itself as outdated, and based on bad logic. No amount of internal criticism ( or external, for that matter) will solve this epidemic. But it will not be until young people are free to express their own reasons, that the veil will fall completely away.

Whether we see that happen in our lifetime, without the necessary rise in fever pitch of the zealous faithful, I cannot say. I only hope that young people will, in the end' not fear to call BS when they see it.