FFRF awarded Kayleigh $1,000.

By Kayleigh Clark

When I think of this generation’s separation from organized religion, I begin to draw on my own life experiences.

When I was growing up, going to church was an almost daily activity. Sunday services with my dad, Monday Pioneer Girls meetings and activities, Wednesday counseling for children of divorce, Saturday church service with my mom. The cycle continued up until my mom died and going to church multiple times a week was no longer a priority.

However, my mom’s death did not just limit my time spent at church, but also led to my own questioning of religion and God. If God is so powerful and everything is in his plan, why do I no longer have my mom? At 8 years old, why do I have to worry about my growling stomach, unsure of where my next meal will come from? Why is everyone telling me that “she is in a better place” in a heaven that they find personal comfort in, which minimizes my own grief?

This questioning, coupled now with a lack of connection to a church community, led me to begin finding a life that is “good without God.” 

While my experience is vastly different from many others in my generation, I believe those who are also a part of Gen Z have found similar paths through different ways of questioning. We live in an era where the biblical worldview cannot keep up with scientific breakthroughs and developments. This generation is also the first to grow up with the answers to most questions directly at their fingertips, with a heavy emphasis on the quick spread of information through social media platforms. While what is being posted on said platforms may not always be factual, it causes one to reflect on what they are exposed to in daily life, leading to further questioning of the organizations and institutions in charge of daily life.

The mass publicization of the war in Gaza, for example, has brought many Gen Z people to realize the negative impact that organized religion has on the world as a whole and its polarizing longterm effects.

To me, a world where everyone is without religion is almost incomprehensible. As I have grown in my own questioning and atheism, I realize that there are those who feel religion can be a source of comfort against the unknown. However, I believe facts and science can provide a higher level of comfort beyond what is found in a storybook.

Religious influence on government affairs in the United States is highly problematic, resulting in mass protests advocating for the regulation of bodily autonomy, the banning of valuable literature, as well as false and downright dangerous “facts” being pushed by lawmakers who are voted in for their beliefs, not their qualifications or dedication to the good of all.

I believe that many members of Gen Z recognize the importance of the separation of church and state because of the direct impact it has had on their own personal freedom and realize that we are living in a broken system. Religion may bring people together physically, but does not build true community and compassion for others when only those who decide to conform can reap the so-called “benefits” of the organization. While a world completely without religion will likely never be a reality, for myself and many other members of my generation, strengthening the wall of separation between state and church is a most worthy endeavor for a brighter and safer future. 

Kayleigh, 20, attends the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she is majoring in environment and sustainability.

“During the school year, I work as a peer mentor for students in the Guarantee Scholars Program at UNCG, which has allowed me and many others to attend college, something that I never thought was financially feasible for myself,” Kayleigh writes. “I also work as the community outreach assistant for the Office of Sustainability at UNCG, educating students, faculty and staff about the importance of living sustainably and the efforts made by the university to promote sustainability.”