The Soloists Why do single people struggle with religion? - With Jana Riess
Unmarried people are less religious than married people on almost every measure, according to Pew's Religious Landscape Survey and further findings from researcher Ryan Burge and an analysis by MIssion . In this episode, we lay out the data and play with one possible explanation: that religion, particularly for Latter-day Saints, is so tightly bundled with family life that singles struggle to see a compelling future there. Latter-day Saint singles are expected to wait until the next life, when marriage will be a guarantee, to socially, sexually, and spiritually develop in ways they were primed to look forward to their whole lives, rather than to pursue these experiences through other lifestyle options. How many can tolerate that tradeoff?
Our guest in this episode is the brilliant Jana Reiss, author of the 2019 book The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church. She and her research partner, Benjamin Knoll, have recently conducted a follow-up survey and are working on a book that will specifically focus on the experiences and characteristics of two groups: those who have left the Church, and those who have experienced a faith transition but have chosen to remain members. Jana is also in an interfaith marriage, and shares from her experience on the topic.
We begin the conversation by reading an excerpt from Nicole Hardy's viral New York Times piece from 2011, "Single, Female, Mormon Alone", a must-read for everyone interested in this topic, and hypothesize why Nicole ends up deciding that she can't develop the way she wants to within the confines of the Church.
What if there were another solution, besides exiting? What if the liminal place that many singles feel themselves in were seen as a rich site for spiritual growth, and that the choices and compromises singles end up making were understood in context? Where do liminal people need more from religious communities; and where can they help a religion remember what it is really about?
Let us know what you think -- what resonates with you, what we missed, and what seems like total quackery. You can join a public conversation on this on our instagram or substack.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thesoloists.substack.com