When I was growing up none of my friends talked about religion or God or sending prayers if something bad happened. Now I see these same people on facebook as adults talk about praying for friends who have had bad things happen, or asking for prayers during a difficult time. The majority of my friends were raised religiously in some sort of way. Confirmations and barmitzvahs and sunday school, etc. We knew each others religions and knew the holidays we celebrated, but religious language was rarely used. Most of these people are facebook friends at this point from my childhood, not current real life friends who I regularly keep in touch with outside of facebook. Most of my close friends don’t talk like that even if they are very religious. They don’t even on facebook. The exception is my friends from the south, but I did not grow up with them, and I don’t know how they were as children.

Is it that most children don’t talk this way? Even now? Or, has there been a shift in the last 30 years that people say these things more often?