Let’s face it. Every age group has stereotypes. The mysterious Generation Z is rumored to love sharing strange GIFs, Millennials are labeled as immature, lonely phone users, and everyone who has passed the seventy-year-old mark despises technology.
I am not a millennial. I can’t speak for all younger generations, but our society’s current picture of Christian millennials and young adults is flawed. Imagine trying to go to mass or Sunday service and seeing the scene featured at the beginning of this article.
Callie is being offered an Overly Simplified Youth Bible by Cat (me). I don’t think you would like to be in Callie’s position. Neither would I. Turns out most young adults and adolescents wouldn’t like this either.
This image, while exaggerated, is how we sometimes try to talk about Christianity with other generations, other countries, and people with different beliefs then us. We stereotype those who are younger and older than us. We forget to research what other people believe before having a discussion about Christianity. By doing so, we ignore the basis behind what others believe. We can even trap them in something I call the Stereotype Box.
What do newer generations want? Again, I can’t speak for each person. However, the majority of people in newer generations aren’t looking for a religious clubhouse. Adolescents and young adults are also humans (how shocking!) and, like other humans, hunger for the truth.
Stop watering down Christianity. We should provide resources and sermons/homilies for those who are considering the faith, but those who have been Christians for a long time need spiritual food, too. Don’t simplify Catholicism. Don’t gloss over tiny details.
Here’s another don’t. Don’t distort Christianity and Catholicism in an attempt to relate to others. Don’t say abortion is acceptable. That will harm souls.
The moral of the story is to treat others as humans and give them the dignity that God gave us. All humans are made in God’s image.
A Catholic Cat 
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