As we approach Yom Kippur on Oct. 4, also known as the Day of Atonement—the holiest day of the year in Judaism—Martin Vesole, former president of Temple Menorah in Chicago, and author of a well-regarded novel about the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, says his religious tradition must adapt or risk fading into irrelevance.
“Twenty percent of Americans describe themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious’—they’re part of the 46 million religiously unaffiliated adults in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center,” says Vesole, a former attorney and author of the Jewish-themed novel “Sleeping Truth.”
Of religiously unaffiliated adults, more than two thirds say they believe in God, and one in five say they pray daily. Only 13 million are self-described agnostics or atheists. “To me, this says that faith is alive and well in 2014,” Vesole says.
“However, particularly for younger people, the compulsory traditions of organized religion are viewed as archaic, though the need for purpose and meaning in life remain strong. Organized religion can be doing more to remain relevant to the millions who are hungry for spiritual significance.”
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