The Increase of Atheism
Question
Today, there are great increase of atheism among youth, especially in the developed nations. In America, Europe, and North East Asia, atheism is gaining big amounts of followers.
How about Jewish young people? Is atheism growing rapidly, just like in the most of the developed world? Or, is Judaism firmly established among Jewish youth?
Answers
In general, within the Orthodox Jewish world the pull towards atheism is minimal. The reason is that a child brought up with a healthy and grounded belief in God will not be theologically bothered by the claims of atheists.
As a rule, genuine atheists are few and far between. The atheists of today – especially among the youth – are atheists of convenience. It is simply easier to claim to not to believe in God than to be obligated in any way to God.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team