Introduction rough draft for Research Paper

There is a plague on the earth today. It is not locusts, or fire from heaven; the rivers are not turning to blood, but it is a plague nonetheless. It affects young adults of every religious denomination and sect, young men and young women who are just beginning to grow into their newfound independence that comes with officially becoming an adult, perhaps leaving for college, perhaps working, or perhaps just in that difficult in-between stage before they feel their life really starts. No one knows exactly what the repercussions of this plague will be if it is allowed to continue, but how do we stop this plague of Godlessness that is sweeping away the youth of the nation? Young adults are falling away from religion at an unprecedented rate; (insert statistic + citation here) of (ages from study) say that they do not go to a religious services regularly (or whatever the study I can find says) Young adults of every religion are increasingly choosing to stay away from the traditional worship setting, this is a fact, but it raises two essential questions. The first: Why? The second: What is to be done? In order to answer these, other questions must find their answers as well, such as what are the young adults being exposed to that would draw them away from religion, or what about religion would push them away? Perhaps one answer to these questions will be revealed by looking at the ubiquity of modern technology, namely the internet and the rise of social media. The internet allows a vast amount of the world’s knowledge to be accessed from almost anywhere at any time, not only through computers, but also through the tablets and smart phones that many young adults carry around with them at all times. It provides a chance for them and others to share their opinions anonymously, and be exposed to other people’s opinions, which are also often shared anonymously. The opinions shared on the internet about religion are not always positive, in fact, in light of religious issues such as the struggle of Gay rights, and the war on the terrorist Islamic extremists, religion is too often painted with a negative brush.  Numbers of young adults attending church services are dwindling in part because they are becoming disillusioned with religion because online media portrays religion as backwards, militant, and bigoted.