Dear Gatherers:

This past week I read an editorial by Jessica Gross (NYT 3/12/25) exploring the decline in religious affiliation as millennials have come of age. Gross explains how they were disenchanted by the ‘malfeasance’ of various faith groups brought to light by both sexual and financial scandals. Quoting Christian Smith’s new book Why Religion Went Obsolete, Gross highlighted, “The scandals violated most of the virtues believed to make religion good. They demonstrated that religion did not make people moral, did not help its own leaders cope with life’s challenges and temptations, did not promote social peace and harmony and did not model virtuous behavior for others.” Gross continues by observing that religions did not make