We are known for our ambition, edgy ways of dress and technology addictions. But beyond these commonly known attributes about our generation, we are also known for our lenient views on religion.

“I’m spiritual, but not religious” and “I celebrate, but I rarely practice” are comments that mark frequent conversations among members of our generation about religion.

Religion provides a glimpse of where we come from, our upbringings and oftentimes, our ideals. But college is a time of questioning our pasts and beliefs, and wondering about our futures.

Overall, today, we are less apt to care about allegiances to faith than our parents might have when they went to college.

According to a Pew Research Center study conducted in the fall of 2012, 20 percent of the U.S. public and one-third of adults under the age of 30 are religiously disaffiliated. This marks the highest percentage among “disaffiliated” individuals in Pew Research Center polling history.

The numbers reflect our open-minded, somewhat lackadaisical attitude about attending religious services and the importance of religion in our lives.

The “disaffiliated” trend is not based on gender, the attainment of a college degree, annual earnings or geographical placement. It is a widespread view held by men and women, both college educated and those with a high school diploma, individuals earning less than $30,000 and individuals earning more than $75,000 per year.

This is not to say members of our generation do not hold religion as one of the most important aspects of their lives.

However, as a whole, we have grown soft on religion.

I, myself, am not a highly religious individual. I was raised as a reform Jew. I attended Hebrew school and became a bat mitzvah.

My upbringing was different from most though: My father is Protestant, which means my Decembers are packed with eight days of Hanukkah and one day of Christmas.

I enjoy the culture of Judaism and am proud of my heritage and who I am. But the practice of prayers and the observance of holidays are no longer as strictly adhered to as when I was under the watchful gaze of my parents.

Our generation makes distinctions from those that precede us – in politics, fashion, technology and religion.

In religion, we sometimes see a conflict between our beliefs and the label of a religion and its belief system. We reject any label that suggests a certain belief we do not agree with.

We are, first and foremost, individuals, and many of us don’t fit under one type of umbrella. We are the generation of disaffiliation.

Still, religion remains a major topic of conversation.

My friends and I often ponder how we might raise our children some day. Many conversations revolve around how to maintain religious identification while limiting religious observances. Is it possible to maintain ties with my religion without attending weekly services? Would it matter if I chose a life partner who is not affiliated with my faith?

Just as many conversations suggest the decision of religious preference be left to our future children when they come of age.

“I would let them believe what they want to believe,” a friend once told me. “I wouldn’t want to force any beliefs on them.”

Of course, none of us really know what choices we will make once our years at Syracuse are behind us. My parents chose my religious affiliation years ago, and here I am, years later, still trying to determine who I am and where my commitments lie.

Anna Hodge is a freshman magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ahodge@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @annabhodge.

Published on February 21, 2013 at 2:20 am