Religion is more than just a path to salvation for Indian immigrants to America. For many immigrant families, religion is a concrete and crucial source of cultural identity ― something that sounds, smells, and feels familiar in a country where everything is foreign. The Indian temples, mosques, gurdwaras, and churches that dot America’s religious landscape are a testament to how important that identity is to the first generation ― and how desperately those immigrants would like to pass their religion on to their children.

That’s why, when their kids begin to doubt, it’s a heartbreaking, painful situation all around.