Alot of us are born into christianity, so were forced to go to church and even forced to participate which as get older makes us want to rebel against it. which usually happens in the teens into college. and college is where we are told by the media and society experimentation is supposed to happen so we do. Most of us eventually choose to return to God but it takes us seeing that the secular world is a literally a living waste land. I know this from experience, it starts off fun but doesnt last.:yes
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Why do Christian college students leave church and struggle
- Thread starter nyc christian
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TamiSchall
Member
Many young people give up their faith when they go to college. It is necessary to distinguish between the degrees of sins that students create when entering college. If a student just buys an essay from the service about which you can get more info <- here, then there is nothing wrong with that, because it is really difficult to study in college, but if a student gets drunk and starts relationships with several individuals of the opposite sex, then this is already a terrible sin.
I can only vouch for what happened in my life. I grew up in a devout Catholic tradition. We never missed a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation Mass for we were taught to do so was a mortal sin. We attended Mass and prayed through the Rosary daily during the Lenten season. I served as an altar boy, sang in the choir, attended Catechism classes, and attended Catholic school. Every evening my brothers and sisters and I knelt on our living room floor to say our prayers before going to bed. The 10 Commandments were strictly taught and adhered to. To this day (I'm 61) I can attend a Mass and still recite nearly the entire Liturgy from memory including the Priest's words.
What happened? As I entered into my later teens I began to question some of what I had been taught. Of particular impact for me was the subject of prayer.
In all those years I was never taught what prayer really was... a conversation between me and God directly. Prayers were always these formal penned statements and except for the Lord's Prayer, never addressed God directly but instead addressed those the Catholic hierarchy identified as saints, asking for their intercession. When I read Scriptures like Isaiah 53:12, Romans 8:26-27, Romans 8:34, and 1 Timothy 2:5 I began to understand that there is but one intercessor and that is Jesus.
When I attended confession and after performing absolution the Priest assigned penance in the form of repeated prayers, such as 10 Hail Marys and three Our Fathers, and this too began to raise a lot of questions in my mind. First, it reassigned the purpose of prayer as a form of punishment (penance means punishment) and secondly I began to realize that it flew in the face of Matthew 6:7 about praying with vain repetition.
I began to see those prayers and the Liturgy (which I now believe is a prayer) as nothing more than mere words repeated from memory with no meaning for me anymore. It just happened that these things began in my later teens and about the same time I was entering college. This is a time in our lives when we enter adulthood and we start to think more for ourselves, exploring and learning more of our individuality. My confusion then led me to leave the Catholic tradition and unfortunately I also left any belief in God. It wasn't until I was nearing 40 before I began to become aware of God's presence in my life again through the help of some neighbors and our small country Lutheran church.
What happened? As I entered into my later teens I began to question some of what I had been taught. Of particular impact for me was the subject of prayer.
In all those years I was never taught what prayer really was... a conversation between me and God directly. Prayers were always these formal penned statements and except for the Lord's Prayer, never addressed God directly but instead addressed those the Catholic hierarchy identified as saints, asking for their intercession. When I read Scriptures like Isaiah 53:12, Romans 8:26-27, Romans 8:34, and 1 Timothy 2:5 I began to understand that there is but one intercessor and that is Jesus.
When I attended confession and after performing absolution the Priest assigned penance in the form of repeated prayers, such as 10 Hail Marys and three Our Fathers, and this too began to raise a lot of questions in my mind. First, it reassigned the purpose of prayer as a form of punishment (penance means punishment) and secondly I began to realize that it flew in the face of Matthew 6:7 about praying with vain repetition.
I began to see those prayers and the Liturgy (which I now believe is a prayer) as nothing more than mere words repeated from memory with no meaning for me anymore. It just happened that these things began in my later teens and about the same time I was entering college. This is a time in our lives when we enter adulthood and we start to think more for ourselves, exploring and learning more of our individuality. My confusion then led me to leave the Catholic tradition and unfortunately I also left any belief in God. It wasn't until I was nearing 40 before I began to become aware of God's presence in my life again through the help of some neighbors and our small country Lutheran church.
There are many reasons why young people from a church background stop attending church.
First is, they were never Christian, just went along with it.
Another is they were never taught Christian apologetics, only how to parrot Christianity.
There are those for whom freedom, being away from parents etc and liberty goes to there head and they try what the world offers, some do come back.
Others are unable to answer the objections of class skeptics and loose there way.
A large part of the problem could be prevented if ministers and parents would train young people in apologetics rather than just lecture them, teaching them what an unbelieving world will throw at them and how to answer it.
Check out wit's book Already gone.
Look at coldcasechristianity for ideas on training.
First is, they were never Christian, just went along with it.
Another is they were never taught Christian apologetics, only how to parrot Christianity.
There are those for whom freedom, being away from parents etc and liberty goes to there head and they try what the world offers, some do come back.
Others are unable to answer the objections of class skeptics and loose there way.
A large part of the problem could be prevented if ministers and parents would train young people in apologetics rather than just lecture them, teaching them what an unbelieving world will throw at them and how to answer it.
Check out wit's book Already gone.
Look at coldcasechristianity for ideas on training.
Christ_empowered
Member
Dedicated to church, not Christ?
lafingman0
Member
bingo.
God sees the heart. there are many in that closed system that practice the works thereof of the Christian life but have not given their heart to Christ. Their faith is not properly rooted.
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark 4:3-9 KJV
Bob Carabbio
Member
OR more likely, the ones that REMAIN Christians, where the one who actually WERE Born Again Christians to begin with. Christianity is, by definition, a totally CLOSE-MINDED Faith.
There's only ONE God, and ONE Savior, and ONE FAITH (Heb 11:1), ONE Book, and all the rest of the "World's Religions" are WORTHLESS, and can only lead their VICTIMS into HELL.
You can't GET more "Close-minded" than that, y'all.
hishandmaiden
Member
Not all college students quit church! I became a christian while I was a college student and was most dedicated to the Lord during my uni years! Really miss those days!
AChristianStoic
Member
There's no certain formula on how to keep a young person in the church or away from the church. Trends develop in human behavior of course, but it isn't mathematically predictable in any given situation. Kids who grow up in the same household often end up with different beliefs.
nyc christian
One of the big problems in the Christian culture is that there are Bible colleges for every faith and belief, and so those coming out are mostly BIBLICAL MAGPIES of their chosen doctrine.
They merely find a church, begin preaching, and repeat all they were taught and haven't a clue if they have the proper Godly faith or not, or even consider questioning what they were taught.
Pastors and preachers point fingers at those of differing faiths and condemn them to hell, without having the slightest clue if what they believe or were taught is the truth, or if they are going to hell because they believe the wrong doctrine.
I have seen that and heard that over 4 decades, and just shake my head, because there are so few in the pulpits of any faith or doctrine who have a clue of the actual Godly faith, God has presented us in His word.
Matthew 7: 13-14, Luke 13:23-24, and Matthew 13:21 tell us all about it.
The bigger problem is that most think that if you believe in Jesus as your savior your saved, which by God's wording is far from the truth, so it really doesn't matter what happens to those in college or coming out suffering or not, they are suffering for a pointless reason of a false faith, and their untrue words will become the downfall and damnation of all who hear them.
So to me, their suffering is good, and hopefully, they will search out a true faith when they become disappointed with all the falsehoods they've been taught.
One of the big problems in the Christian culture is that there are Bible colleges for every faith and belief, and so those coming out are mostly BIBLICAL MAGPIES of their chosen doctrine.
They merely find a church, begin preaching, and repeat all they were taught and haven't a clue if they have the proper Godly faith or not, or even consider questioning what they were taught.
Pastors and preachers point fingers at those of differing faiths and condemn them to hell, without having the slightest clue if what they believe or were taught is the truth, or if they are going to hell because they believe the wrong doctrine.
I have seen that and heard that over 4 decades, and just shake my head, because there are so few in the pulpits of any faith or doctrine who have a clue of the actual Godly faith, God has presented us in His word.
Matthew 7: 13-14, Luke 13:23-24, and Matthew 13:21 tell us all about it.
The bigger problem is that most think that if you believe in Jesus as your savior your saved, which by God's wording is far from the truth, so it really doesn't matter what happens to those in college or coming out suffering or not, they are suffering for a pointless reason of a false faith, and their untrue words will become the downfall and damnation of all who hear them.
So to me, their suffering is good, and hopefully, they will search out a true faith when they become disappointed with all the falsehoods they've been taught.
Edward
2024 Supporter
I don't agree. I wanted to go to college from a young age, but...circumstances did not let me and I really regretted it.
But! Since I have been walking with the Lord, I've decided that I am very glad that I did not go to college! I could have made a lot more than I did in my wrenching carrer. Colleges teach and form one into the image of the world. That is not a good thing. If I'd have went to college, I'd probably be a fairly self centered punk right now. But I like helping people and I am not in the image of the world.
Society has made it the norm and even an expectation of going crazy while in college. Drugs & alcohol, becoming fornicating fools. So the youth are happy to oblige. They need our help. Our prayers and our example of how one should live their life and for our Lord with Him as the Priority.
Or we could just close all the colleges, lol.
Edward
God, Himself is omniscient and knows who He has called to Himself already for the eternal glory that is theirs with Him, for His everlasting eternity - Praise God !!
Edward
2024 Supporter
I agree. But, that shouldn't stop us from Praying for them and witnessing to them.
As I understand it, many Blessings and wotnot are done because of someone's Prayers. And conversely, some things so not happen because of the lack of Prayers. (Ye have not because ye ask not.)
That's exactly what l went through as a late teen in university. Now l am in my 70s in Australia & i don't see the church equipping youth in any substantial way yo deal with temptations & the scientific and apapologetictic issues of of life.
When I start discussing apologetic isssues, I get comments from church people such as "stick with the Bible." I am fixed on the Bible: "But in yoir hearts pset apart Christ as.Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you for the reason that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1Pet 3:15 NiV)).
How much sex ed did you receive at church? What general apologetic training came from church & home? In my understanding , the major problems could be solved by the church equipping youth in sex ed & apologetics.
Oz
Christ_empowered
Member
colleges are turning...more stridently anti-Christian. not just 'conservative Christian,' I mean...anti-Christian. I think some of it has to do with faculty who are less and less 'tolerant' of believers, even among their ranks. and then...
i dunno. what's left of church going USA is increasingly anti-intellectual, frustrated, dedicated to an ideology that, at best, is an addition to Scripture, not so much built -upon- Scripture. I live in The Bible Belt, and...
-sigh- the narrative is borderline cliche, but its firmly rooted in reality, so here goes: kid from middle class or above evangelical family goes to college. by the time they graduate...
they're ex-vangelical (this is apparently a new-ish word coined recently, in the US...clever, in a sad way) and essentially indistinguishable, in terms of morality, outlook, lifestyle choices, etc. from peers from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, educational levels, etc. whaaa?
did the established church 'fail' the younger generations? is it...just not a lifestyle that they're interested in, once they've gone thru a 4 year degree program? would they have turned away anyway, if they' gone to a 2 year school or just worked? -shrug- not that I don't care, just...I don't know.
that leaves aside a subculture that is, in fact, increasingly hostile to Christianity. self-important faculty, aspiring and equally self-important adjuncts...a professor at one semilocal university (social sciences) would bring a Bible to class, hold it up, and say "You know, if you want answers, you won't find them in here! I can tell you that much!," because..you know...in his book, social sciences and Jesus are somehow incompatible? (don't get it, but that's a fairly common outlook, it seems...having said that, there are still some awesome Christian social scientists).
-shrug- really sad thing? the way the US economy works, its the 4 year grads (and above) and then...everybody else. not quite the golden ticket promised in years past, but...it has emerged as a dividing line, of sorts. :-(
i dunno. what's left of church going USA is increasingly anti-intellectual, frustrated, dedicated to an ideology that, at best, is an addition to Scripture, not so much built -upon- Scripture. I live in The Bible Belt, and...
-sigh- the narrative is borderline cliche, but its firmly rooted in reality, so here goes: kid from middle class or above evangelical family goes to college. by the time they graduate...
they're ex-vangelical (this is apparently a new-ish word coined recently, in the US...clever, in a sad way) and essentially indistinguishable, in terms of morality, outlook, lifestyle choices, etc. from peers from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, educational levels, etc. whaaa?
did the established church 'fail' the younger generations? is it...just not a lifestyle that they're interested in, once they've gone thru a 4 year degree program? would they have turned away anyway, if they' gone to a 2 year school or just worked? -shrug- not that I don't care, just...I don't know.
that leaves aside a subculture that is, in fact, increasingly hostile to Christianity. self-important faculty, aspiring and equally self-important adjuncts...a professor at one semilocal university (social sciences) would bring a Bible to class, hold it up, and say "You know, if you want answers, you won't find them in here! I can tell you that much!," because..you know...in his book, social sciences and Jesus are somehow incompatible? (don't get it, but that's a fairly common outlook, it seems...having said that, there are still some awesome Christian social scientists).
-shrug- really sad thing? the way the US economy works, its the 4 year grads (and above) and then...everybody else. not quite the golden ticket promised in years past, but...it has emerged as a dividing line, of sorts. :-(
Bob Carabbio
Member
Actually NOBODY has ever been "Born into Christianity". We may have been born into "Churchianity".
Leaving the nest simply means that we're free to do what we're really interested in, and "Churchianity" for unregenerates tends not to be high on the list.
HOPEFULLY, at some point we'll be Convicted by the Holy Spirit of our SIN, and of Judgement, and be able to REPENT, and surrender our lives to HIM in FAITH, and become Born Again as REAL Christians.
nyc christian
A friend's pastor and wife adopted 3 children from India, and had 3 of their own.
One of the 3 they adopted after becoming a teenager ran away to the East Coast and they have never seen or heard from here again. Been 4 or 5 years.
I have friends who have lost children to the world during or after college.
30 years ago my oldest daughter of 5 of my children, and a young man in Church fell in love and were married and bought a house about 40 miles away in a small town. Almost immediately they both quit going to church, and in around 3-4 years they were separating and eventually divorced.
The ex-husband started drinking, and never regained a foothold on his faith or his life. He was dead before he turned 50. Neither of their sons, my grandsons, have ever been in a church, and one of them is living the same life as his father, drinking, jobless, and lost to the world.
What an awful tragedy when our loved ones are lost to the world.
All we can do sometimes is pray and ask God for the ability to deal with the pain and loss.
The good news is my oldest son has come back to the faith after leaving it for 20 years, and day by day is getting stronger in his faith, and loves to tell me what God is doing in his life.
My other 3 children are doing great.
Never give up on your kids.
Life has a way of getting in the way, as with my oldest son and oldest daughter, but they may remember what they learned when they were in church like my oldest son did, and start making their faith their own.
When kids are raised in the church, they do what they do, because that's what the family does, and say what they do, because that's what the family says. It's a training ground to teach them, and then you turn them loose to watch and see what they do with all those years of dedication and teaching, and setting an example the best you know how.
Sometimes it takes decades. Sometimes they just walk away forever.
Seasoned by Grace
A friend's pastor and wife adopted 3 children from India, and had 3 of their own.
One of the 3 they adopted after becoming a teenager ran away to the East Coast and they have never seen or heard from here again. Been 4 or 5 years.
I have friends who have lost children to the world during or after college.
30 years ago my oldest daughter of 5 of my children, and a young man in Church fell in love and were married and bought a house about 40 miles away in a small town. Almost immediately they both quit going to church, and in around 3-4 years they were separating and eventually divorced.
The ex-husband started drinking, and never regained a foothold on his faith or his life. He was dead before he turned 50. Neither of their sons, my grandsons, have ever been in a church, and one of them is living the same life as his father, drinking, jobless, and lost to the world.
What an awful tragedy when our loved ones are lost to the world.
All we can do sometimes is pray and ask God for the ability to deal with the pain and loss.
The good news is my oldest son has come back to the faith after leaving it for 20 years, and day by day is getting stronger in his faith, and loves to tell me what God is doing in his life.
My other 3 children are doing great.
Never give up on your kids.
Life has a way of getting in the way, as with my oldest son and oldest daughter, but they may remember what they learned when they were in church like my oldest son did, and start making their faith their own.
When kids are raised in the church, they do what they do, because that's what the family does, and say what they do, because that's what the family says. It's a training ground to teach them, and then you turn them loose to watch and see what they do with all those years of dedication and teaching, and setting an example the best you know how.
Sometimes it takes decades. Sometimes they just walk away forever.
Seasoned by Grace
Zephniah chapter 3, The priests polluted the sanctuary. Part of it is, some churches aren't nourishing the flocks. Its constantly milk, no meat. Salvation, peace and love. Who wants to donate to church that doesn't teach meat of God's word. Hosea chapter 6 warns us, don't go to Beth Aven, it means house of emptiness. Priests have failed in their capacity to feed pasture to the congregation. Young people don't bother to go. Corinthians chapter 3, the apostate broke away from the foundation of christ and formed Denominations. The apostates are hirelings. Many teaching traditions of men and false doctrine. Churches try to keep the attendance up. Money is their agenda. Im not knocking churches down. Bottom line. If the denominations taught sound doctrine, more Christian people would come. Anything that deviates from God's word is idolatry. There's moral degeneration in in America. Second Timothy chapter 3 is bible prophecy. Perilous times are here !!. Satan as antichrist will come near future. Those who are biblically illiterate will worship antichrist. Those who have gospel armory on will not worship antichrist, ephesians chapter 6.