Even in secular America, Sunday mornings are still synonymous with church. Whether just for Easter and Christmas Eve or weekly services, many young adults look back on childhood memories of donning a pretty dress or a clip-on tie and snoozing through some sort of religious service. But as they have matured, 18- to 25-year-old Americans have drifted away from the churches of their youth in search of a different sort of religious life.

For children raised in religious households, the transition into college – and an independent lifestyle – often propels young adults to reevaluate their religious views. Many choose to continue a variation of the religious lifestyle taught to them by their parents, others redefine their religion in terms of their own “spirituality” and still some establish an entirely new religious outlook.

Religious affiliation is declining in emerging adults, according to a 2010 study by the Pew Forum for Religious and Public Life. Today, 26 percent of Americans ages 18 to 25 say they do not identify with any religious group, representing a 200 percent increase over the last two generations. Despite this dramatic increase, however, a vast majority of Generation Y admits that while they’ve strayed from the path of traditional religion passed down to them by their parents, 72% say they still believe in God. This notion of a God outside of standard religion is one held my many young adults.

Elise,* 21, a senior at New York University, was raised in a Roman Catholic household in Buffalo. As she matured, Elise began to reassess some of the teachings of the church, realizing that many of the stories told in church services were more cautionary tales than absolute truth. “When you’re a kid you believe that if you do something bad you’re going to hell, but as I grew up I was able to stand up for what I actually believed,” she said.

While her parents – who she describes as conservative – have begun to come to terms with Elise’s nonreligious life, difficulties still arise in the parent-child relationship. “My parents aren’t stuck in their ways, they’re open-minded people,” Elise said, and yet the reality that their daughter has left the Catholic Church is ignored when she goes home. Though she doesn’t attend church services in Manhattan, Elise still shuffles along to church with Mom and Dad when she visits home, regardless of her own feelings. “I go because I feel like telling them ‘I’m not coming with you’ would put a big barrier in the relationship.”

Now living on her own, Elise doesn’t see any value in practicing Catholicism. “I feel like I don’t need religion in my life anymore,” Elise said. “It gave me the foundation for who I am, but I still have my morals. I know what’s right and wrong, so I don’t think I need to go to church anymore.” Elise attributes some of her current values to the church, but she places a greater emphasis elsewhere. “My family taught me what was right and wrong, and the church just reinforced it,” Elise said.

Like Elise, many 18 to 25 year olds often venture away from religion as they establish their own individual identities, according to scholars. Anthony Petro, an NYU Faculty Fellow who specializes in American religion, explained that the early twenties are a time for self-exploration. “Many young adults have a ‘seeker mentality’ where they are looking something different than what they were raised,” Petro said, noting that the trend of changing religion can be as subtle as switching from one denomination to another, or as great as moving to an entirely new religious tradition.

The digression from religion in the late teens and early twenties in not a new trend, according to Petro. As American culture as evolved over the last 50 years, Petro noted, the idea of having no religion has become more accepted and non-stigmatized, resulting in an increase of openly agnostic, or even atheist, citizens. Added to that, the increasing media criticism focused on Catholicism and other faiths has made questioning religious institutions more commonplace. “Many young become have become skeptical of the Church and its practices and beliefs,” Petro said. “Those who tend to be more engaged in religion today are putting an emphasis on social issues rather than the political ones stressed by religious institutions.”

The move away from organized religion can also be attributed to the introduction of Eastern religions – like Buddhism or Hinduism – that put an emphasis on individual spirituality as opposed to communal religion. While individual experience is significant in these religions, there is still a sense of collectiveness within them. “It’s not a free-for-all where everything goes,” Petro points out. “There’s a longer tradition that people are tapping into, a tradition of ‘zen’ and yoga that has emerged with this idea of the spiritual.”

The sense of spirituality drew Jimmy Burgio, 23, to Hinduism. A yoga instructor in Manhattan, Burgio was raised in a strict Catholic household. On his path to find a religion that best fit his own views, Burgio was introduced to Hinduism, and the religion stuck. “The Church’s stance on political topics – and everything that was in the media as I was growing up – made me skeptical of Catholicism,” Burgio said. “But I really liked the idea of all the Catholic saints so I was seeking something similar to that.”

Coupled with the numerous “devas” – the Hindu equivalent to Catholic saints – and the intense ritualistic devotion of Hinduism, Burgio not only took to the practices of his new religion but its belief system as well. Like many Gen Yers, Burgio describes himself as “spiritual,” not religious. Maintaining a healthy spiritual life is at the center of every day for him; Burgio believes in karma and strives to treat everyone as he would want to be treated in return. Burgio also believes that God is present in all things and in all people, meaning that everything around him should be treated with respect. “The goal is to do everything because you have to, but because you love to,” Burgio said.

*This name was changed at the request of the source.

To Kevin Naidoo, Hinduism is more than a series of rituals performed in temple.

“When I was seven years old, there was a stage in our lives when my Dad was unemployed for nine months,” said Naidoo. “He had to sweep floors to put food on our table.” But, because of his father’s devotion to God, there was never a day the family went hungry, he said. “My dad’s faith carried our family through all those times.”

Naidoo, now 30, works as an accounts manager for a California based company, traveling the world and living life as a successful yuppie. Because of his father’s devotion and dedication, religion is of special importance to Naidoo.

“That’s why I prefer to marry someone within my faith. There’s nothing more blissful in a marriage than a husband and wife praying together.” he said. “Being the only son, my father wants me continue his legacy and uphold what we inherited.”

And in Hinduism, that which is inherited is caste.

The caste system in India has a reputation for being highly discriminatory and bigoted. While that may not be entirely far from the truth, the origins of the caste system are often misunderstood.

Gadadhara Pundit Dasa, a Hindu priest and scholar of the Bhagavad-Gita explains that according to scripture, Krishna, one of the most prominent Hindu deities, created the four main castes: Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and sudra, with each caste possessing certain attributes. Brahmins are intended to have the attribute of goodness, kshatriya the attribute of passion, vaishya a mixture of both goodness and passion and the lowest caste, sudra, the attribute of ignorance.

But, what happens next is dependent on how Hindus choose to interpret their supposed fate and the system that deals it out.

“The Caste system naturally exists, but the point is for us to go beyond it,” said Pandit Dasa. In the not so distant past, India has seen a time when even interacting with people outside of their caste was considered taboo. But, as waves of Indians migrated to the United States, many “left the caste thing behind,” according to Pundit Dasa.

In America, people of all races and religions, and of course castes, come together on a daily basis with no contention.

But at the same time, “Caste is about identity and people want to hold onto identity,” said Naidoo. At work or school, caste lines are blurred. The only way to uphold one’s caste legacy is through marriage that preserves the label. But the question remains if doing so is even important to young Hindu-Americans.

“Knowing the traditions of a caste would create harmony in a marriage. With similar standards, life is more peaceful,” said Pundit Dasa. But, is this a compelling enough reason to seek a partner who is of the same caste? “

Pundit Dasa, who is also a spiritual counselor for college students in the New York City area, has found that “caste is not really on young people’s minds.” “They’re more focused on themselves, their academics and moving on with their lives,” he said.

Often pegged as the “model minority,” education is certainly of utmost importance for Indian-Americans. “Hindus are high achievers,” said Le Moyne College sociology professor Farha Ternikar, who studies South Asian immigrant communities. Caste is in no way stopping people from achieving educations or making strides in their fields.

And in places of higher learning, students are blind to caste. Nidhi Desai, president of the NYU chapter of the Hindu Student Council, agrees with this sentiment. “The club is mainly so we can stay close to our roots and traditions, but caste never comes up and it’s not a big deal,” she said. “Things are changing.”

For some Hindu-Americans, the caste system is just too anachronistic to adhere to. “I think it’s retarded,” said Vani Dusi, 21, a senior at Binghamton University. “The values of my caste tell me not to eat meat or drink alcohol. I haven’t really been following through with that.”

Especially in America, caste-ly values do not jive with the times. So, why bother trying to uphold a legacy that is not even rightfully maintained?

“Caste is superficial if you can’t uphold the lifestyle,” said Pundit Dasa. If people are not carrying out their duties, why should they be told to maintain a legacy, said Pundit Dasa. “How in good conscience can we enforce this?”

“Ultimately, we should be looking for the strength of the love, financial stability and education of the other person over their caste or religion or race,” said Arjun Kalyan, 23, a software engineer from Boston. “And I would like to believe that people now a days are tending towards this.”