Since 2000, the estimated number of Western New York Catholics has dropped 12.7 percent, which is more than four times larger than the area's population loss in the same time, according to The Buffalo News.
In other words, less people are going to church in WNY, a region where the most prominent religion is Catholicism.
Religion is largely a personal choice, and many aren't choosing to practice. The Catholic Church has gone through its fair share of trials and tribulations since it came into existence over 2,000 years ago, yet has always persevered; a drop in membership in one region, although telling, by no means signifies an international decline in Catholicism, although the issue does seem unrelenting to some bishops.
As Easter Sunday approaches, there likely will be a spike in those who attend Mass. Major holidays, not just for Catholics, tend to bring those who identify with a particular religion to their respective places of worship. But is that a farce? Can those who don't attend church, synagogue, mosque or whatever else regularly really be considered religious?
Absolutely.
People not only have a right to choose whether or not to be religious, but also the privilege to decide how religious they want to be. Although every religion has its own expectations, not meeting all prospects doesn't exclude a person from identifying with a religion.
Many of us were raised "religious," but the extent of our practices varied greatly. Some attended religious schools, others went to worship four times a week, and some simply celebrated holidays. Although our upbringings were different, we all retained the prerogative to choose.
Moreover, some of us may not strictly follow a religion, but that doesn't mean the religions we do believe in haven't impacted our lives, as in morals and traditions. Identifying with a religion close to a holiday can illicit criticism, but for some, that's their extent of being religious.
Although religion can often be a touchy subject, The Spectrum's editorial board, which consists of numerous different denominations, agrees that a familial aspect plays a large role in religion. Whether that means attending church to appease parents, going to yeshiva through high school, praying during the month of Muharram, or raising one's family with religious values to preserve culture, family and religion often go hand-in-hand.
Still, that doesn't stop people from finding their own ways and considering themselves religious, or not.
