Is It Generation Y Or Why?

Watch out - they’ve named another generation, and now demographers are going to start analyzing them.

In fact, the analysis has already started. The experts say everybody in Generation Y (ages 6 to 18) is unruly, disrespectful, inquisitive and argumentative.

They come into school with fewer social skills because they have had less contact with other people. They argue in class with other students and with their teachers. And the arguments often become disrespectful.

There, it’s done. We just trashed another generation. It wasn’t that long ago that we took Generation X members and slapped a “lazy” label on their foreheads. It turns out that Generation Xers were not lazy; they just wanted to design the perfect job. Now we know that Generation X has more entrepreneurs than any generation in history.

They’re creative and intelligent. They can spot trends, fill the needs and find the niches. The world will be different because of them.

But now let’s get back to Generation Y. Do we really know that they argue in class, are disrespectful or that they have fewer social skills? No.

Those labels are opinions from teachers who may be burned out, angry and sick of kids. The opinions are part of a survey taken by the Horace Mann Insurance Co. that asked 702 teachers to define Generation Y and compare it with their own beliefs and behavior at the same age.

Apparently, the teachers thought they were little angels, compared with members of Generation Y. The teachers thought they exceeded Generation Y in every respect.

This does not surprise me. I find that the older I get, the more rosy my upbringing becomes. I tell my children about the idyllic surroundings, the wonderful people on my paper route and my devotion as a young believer.

The truth of the matter is: That little town was boring, some of the people on the route were crabby, and I only went to church because of a certain young lady. But we tend to forget reality if it doesn’t suit our purpose.

The one thing that concerns me about this survey is that teachers believed Generation Y did not have the spiritual discipline that other generations have had. The truth is, these young people probably do not worship as often as other generations. But does that mean they will not seek connections with religion in the future? Look at the Baby Boomers, who probably worshiped more than most generations as they were maturing. Do they have religious connections today? Most do not. So perhaps taking the kids to worship is not the answer.

I think we have three generations that are pretty much the same. The boomers and Generations X and Y are all inquisitive and they question authority. They have pretty much rejected religion, and they may continue to in the future.

But that doesn’t mean they are lost. Religions should never judge an entire generation to be lost forever. What these generations are doing is casting a challenge before religion. They want someone to answer the big questions: Why am I here? What is my purpose? If God exists, what does the Almighty want me to do with my time on Earth?

The religions that attempt to answer those questions will gain in the future. Those gatherings of believers that do not attempt to answer the big questions will lose, and many will die.

You may have noticed that conservative Christian churches do better than liberal Christian churches in reaching the unchurched. Part of the reason for that is their strong evangelical focus. That is, they go after the unchurched like the hound of heaven.

But I believe that part of the reason conservative churches do better than liberal churches is because they try to answer the big questions. Sometimes that results in a fairly rigid lifestyle but not always. And it almost always creates a healthy congregation with grateful members.

xxxx