A recent Pew study found that fewer Americans are identifying as Christian, with an eight-percent drop over the past seven years.
Anna Yee, a journalist, Catholic millennial and graduate of Actors, Models & Talent for Christ, told
Newsmax TV's "Hard Line" on Wednesday that many of her peers haven't left the faith, but have decided to label themselves "spiritual."
"I can see more people just being more spiritual, whereas they're not afraid to share their faith or talk about their faith," Yee said, but might not be as willing to identify as Catholic, Baptist or other Christian group.
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People have become more sensitive to "touchy" subjects such as religion and race, Yee told host Ed Berliner. "If you put yourself out there, there's a chance of being ostracized or being made fun of or just having some kind of negative backlash."
Some people also are turned off by what they see as old-fashioned rules that they don't feel they can relate to modern society, she said.
"A lot of it is just go as you feel, be open to this, be accepting to that," she said, "but there's a fine line between being accepting and loving and then also being disciplined."
Some people may have had bad experiences with organized religion, Yee said, but added that the rules are there for a reason. There will always be extremists who hijack any belief, whether it's religion or anything else.
She said she has been encouraged to see Christianity more represented in the mainstream media.
"That's a huge step for being able to share your faith," she said. "Not necessarily your religion, but being able to talk openly about faith, God, your religious beliefs."
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