As a tribute to years gone by, many churches are continuing old-time religion featuring vintage hymns, established traditions and composition of mostly elderly people. While these customs have stood the test of time, many of these churches are missing the key to continuing their traditions — the youth.Louisiana was ranked in the top five most religious states in the country by a recent Gallup poll. This highlights religious influence in politics and a youth movement shifting toward more modern forms of worship.Seventy-eight percent of Louisiana residents polled said religion was an important part of their life. Louisiana ranks fifth behind Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, according to the poll. The national rankings were determined by phoning 335,334 adults, aged 18 and older, selected to be an accurate demographic representation in each state.   The large contingent of Catholics in south Louisiana and Baptists in north Louisiana are the principal reasons for Louisiana’s high-ranking religiosity, said Rev. Chris Andrews, Pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge.”I think those two are like bookends that somehow have pressed themselves upon the psyche and spirit of our people to bring us to a religious consciousness that may be higher than is reflected nationally,” Andrews said.The tradition and culture of religion has dulled down people’s conception of their own religiosity, said Vicki Rodger, accounting senior.”I think we have kind of tamed Christianity, and it made it very cultural. And people just kind of go along with the rituals and habits of Christianity without really knowing what it really means,” Rodger said. “A lot of people say they are Catholic or they are Christian, but they don’t know what they believe.” Though the religious nature of the state is debatable, religious influence on Louisiana politics in the past decade is traceable. In the past decade, the biggest change in Louisiana politics is Catholics moving toward an alliance with the Republican agenda, said Wayne Parent, political science professor.”Southern politics in general were affected by religion in the form of cultural conservatism and a form of cultural issues including abortion and prayer in public schools and that has really helped the Republican party gain a real foothold in the south,” Parent said.NEW GENERATIONLoud guitars and the pounding of drums blares from the nondenominational Chapel on Campus at 7:37 p.m. every Sunday. A departure from traditional worship services of older generations, this popular service hosted by The Refuge, the chapel’s college ministry, could represent the future of worship in Louisiana.”Just as modern culture changes, churches need to be aware that they need to change too,” said Rodger, who attends the service on campus. “I think churches are stuck on ‘We have always done this, this is the habit.’ I think if their focus is on that, then they are losing the heart of what Christ has taught us to do.”To mend the disconnect with the younger generations, some ministries including The Refuge at the Chapel on the Campus are modernizing. The Refuge targets young people by conducting services and creating atmospheres that appeals to students and their needs, said Josh LaRavia, College Pastor for the Refuge. “Students love music that expresses their heart and soul, we are not afraid of it being loud,” LaRavia said. “With our music, we represent this generation.  With our cafe, we represent [teen’s] need to connect.”Campus churches are not the only ones modernizing to appeal more to youth. The First United Methodist Church downtown is seeing a growth in youth attendance because of their efforts to connect with younger people, Andrews said.”We try to speak their [teens] language, therefore we have the youth center,” Andrews said. “We have the video games and all the kinds of things that today’s youth seem to enjoy and relate to and connect with in terms of recreation.”While  modernization appears to be a new trend, it is actually a cycle every generation, Gueno said.”The concept of traditional religious practice is something that is manufactured by recent generations,” Gueno said. “Every generation has a religion that they modify to adjust to their particular needs.”—-Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille