FFRF awarded Sylvie $3,500.

By Sylvie Leyerle

I freely admit to being part of the large coalition of American youth with no religious affiliation. I attribute this choice both to my upbringing and to my personal consideration of the role religion plays in our society. My father expresses outright hostility toward religion of any stripe and what he refers to as “religious idiots,” and my mother is also a lifelong nonbeliever, albeit a quieter one. However, I like to think my outlook is largely based on a reasonable interpretation of my own observations. As with many of my peers, my rejection of religion emerged as I watched religious fundamentalists attack individual rights, wage war on science and undermine our democracy.

It is unsurprising that young Americans are arguably the least religious generation in the history of our country. The internet provides unparalleled access to information, including competing beliefs and their consequences. I and many young people are angered by our political leaders’ tepid response to climate change, and we are especially horrified by inaction based on the assurance that God is in control of the climate or on the promise that Jesus is coming to establish God’s kingdom on Earth. We are outraged by the war on science being conducted by the religious right, as well as efforts to undermine our educational system by banning books and forbidding the teaching of “controversial” subjects, such as sex education.

We have also witnessed countless acts of aggression rooted in religious differences, ranging from the attack on a Sikh man aboard a New York City bus to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict currently raging in the Middle East. Violence and hate speech have also been directed toward members of the LGBTQ-plus community, actions that are arguably encouraged by anti-LGBTQ bills being introduced in state legislatures by religious extremists. Entire societies are built on systemic religious persecution, such as the relegation of Rohingyas in Myanmar to second-class status and the persecution of Christians in Iran and other parts of the Middle East.

Religion is also the motivation for attacks on the rights of women here and around the world, including access to reproductive health care that became threatened when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Immediately following that decision, more than a dozen states activated trigger laws already on the books to ban or restrict abortion. The decision was not only an attack on women’s rights — it was an attack on science that has potential to reshape medical education, undermining the quality of care provided by future practitioners. The Dobbs decision also has potential to threaten access to birth control, especially intrauterine devices (IUDs) and emergency contraception, with the religious right characterizing both as forms of abortion.

In view of these negative consequences, it is undoubtedly a good thing that my generation shuns religion. Religion threatens the health of our nation because the viability of our democracy depends on an informed and freethinking populace. My generation wants an inclusive society that embraces differences and avoids the insular constraints of religion. We are also passionate about access to education, and we are committed to scientific discovery and innovation. We view freedom from religion as the path to combating prejudice and eliminating conflict created by religious difference.

Our rejection of religion also benefits us as individuals, whether as a gay man, a person with a uterus, or someone who believes people are causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm.

If you are a young parent who wants your children to be educated in science, exposed to alternative points of view and free to explore the world of books, freedom from religion is imperative.

Our rights as Americans are based on separation of church and state, and evangelical Christians are painting the 2024 election as a battle of God against Satan. This is perhaps the main reason the rejection of religion by America’s youth is good for our nation — we comprehend the war being waged on our democracy by the religious right, and we will vote to stop it.

Sylvie, 20, is from Champaign, Ill., and attends the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in graphic design.

“I am a studio artist whose most interesting and impactful pieces include an element of social commentary,” Sylvie writes. “As an immigrant and transracial adoptee, I create work that attempts to share both the trauma and the wonder of my adoption experience. My experience as a member of the chronic disease community also informs my work, and I recently participated in Rare Disease Week in Washington, D.C., where my artwork was featured in an exhibit on Capitol Hill.”