Secularization.

One of the reasons that religion continues to be important in modern society is because members of religious organizations frequently take a stand against some of the ills of society. However, in order to remain robust and attract new adherents, religious organizations need to demonstrate that they are relevant to each generation. A problem arises, however, when attempts at remaining relevant and changing to meet the societal expectations of a generation compromise the message of the religion. This is particularly easy to do in contemporary American culture, with its emphasis on skepticism, rationalism, and a postmodern rejection of certainty and absolute truth. When religions are unable to walk the line between relevance and secularization, they run the risk of being seen as irrelevant or of not being differentiated from other cultural institutions.