Zone1 Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline

[shockedcanadian]

A sad reality in many places. Will new generations live a righteous life without the guidance of a clear moral authority?

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year – probably accelerated by Covid

www.theguardian.com

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline​

Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.


The situation means some hard decisions for pastors, who have to decide when a dwindling congregation is no longer sustainable. But it has also created a boom market for those wanting to buy churches, with former houses of worship now finding new life.


About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. With the pandemic speeding up a broader trend of Americans turning away from Christianity, researchers say the closures will only have accelerated.

“The closures, even for a temporary period of time, impacted a lot of churches. People breaking that habit of attending church means a lot of churches had to work hard to get people back to attending again,” said Scott McConnell, executive director at Lifeway Research.

“In the last three years, all signs are pointing to a continued pace of closures probably similar to 2019 or possibly higher, as there’s been a really rapid rise in American individuals who say they’re not religious.”

 

[occupied]

Religious people did a lousy job representing their faith.

 

[JohnDB]

A sad reality in many places. Will new generations live a righteous life without the guidance of a clear moral authority?

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year – probably accelerated by Covid

www.theguardian.com

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline​

Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.


The situation means some hard decisions for pastors, who have to decide when a dwindling congregation is no longer sustainable. But it has also created a boom market for those wanting to buy churches, with former houses of worship now finding new life.


About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. With the pandemic speeding up a broader trend of Americans turning away from Christianity, researchers say the closures will only have accelerated.

“The closures, even for a temporary period of time, impacted a lot of churches. People breaking that habit of attending church means a lot of churches had to work hard to get people back to attending again,” said Scott McConnell, executive director at Lifeway Research.

“In the last three years, all signs are pointing to a continued pace of closures probably similar to 2019 or possibly higher, as there’s been a really rapid rise in American individuals who say they’re not religious.”

A LOT of this is due to the promotion of political and medical agendas being promoted by church organizations or by the congregation membership....

People go to church for religious purposes and not to hear more politics or propaganda about vaccines.
Or to listen to some super wealthy preacher tell the congregation that the church is desperate for more money...especially when they are struggling financially.

Yeah....that would be it.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

You DO NOT need an oligarcy created policing system, made up of fantasy characters and lies in order to learn or teach morality, honesty, and ethics to anybody!

In fact, religion is THE most screwed up organization to be teaching anybody anything!! It's all lies and hypocrisy!


People have been slowly "getting it" over the past many decades, of how phony, corrupt, and hypocritical religion and its "leaders" are. These "leaders" don't care about people, only what these poor suckers can GIVE THEM to make them more powerful, more rich, and more narcissistically psychotic.

I've seen it with my own eyes in every different kind of religion there is. Religion goes by many different names and promotes many different fantasy beings........but they are ALL THE SAME when it comes to the money-grubbing, power hungry, psychologically deranged dictators that get off on these massive ego trips, using and abusing their "flock".

 

[Donald H]

What will be will be on religion's future, and of little consequence to the modern world. There are too many much more serious issues to consider right now.

 

[EvilCat Breath]

You DO NOT need an oligarcy created policing system, made up of fantasy characters and lies in order to learn or teach morality, honesty, and ethics to anybody!

In fact, religion is THE most screwed up organization to be teaching anybody anything!! It's all lies and hypocrisy!


People have been slowly "getting it" over the past many decades, of how phony, corrupt, and hypocritical religion and its "leaders" are. These "leaders" don't care about people, only what these poor suckers can GIVE THEM to make them more powerful, more rich, and more narcissistically psychotic.

I've seen it with my own eyes in every different kind of religion there is. Religion goes by many different names and promotes many different fantasy beings........but they are ALL THE SAME when it comes to the money-grubbing, power hungry, psychologically deranged dictators that get off on these massive ego trips, using and abusing their "flock".

Human history says you are wrong.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Human history says you are wrong.

I don't know what planet you've been on, but on THIS one, religion is the bane of humankind.
Murder, rape, pedophilia, theft, lying, cheating, stealing, WAR.......all carried out by the religious "righteous" because there were people that did NOT agree with them......so they were used, abused, or slaughtered.

YOU might want to read some ACTUAL human history books from THIS planet!!!

 

[JoeB131]

A sad reality in many places. Will new generations live a righteous life without the guidance of a clear moral authority?

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year – probably accelerated by Covid

www.theguardian.com

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline​

Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.


The situation means some hard decisions for pastors, who have to decide when a dwindling congregation is no longer sustainable. But it has also created a boom market for those wanting to buy churches, with former houses of worship now finding new life.


About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. With the pandemic speeding up a broader trend of Americans turning away from Christianity, researchers say the closures will only have accelerated.

“The closures, even for a temporary period of time, impacted a lot of churches. People breaking that habit of attending church means a lot of churches had to work hard to get people back to attending again,” said Scott McConnell, executive director at Lifeway Research.

“In the last three years, all signs are pointing to a continued pace of closures probably similar to 2019 or possibly higher, as there’s been a really rapid rise in American individuals who say they’re not religious.”

You talk like this is a bad thing.

 

[occupied]

Blame Reagan and Falwell. They did more to damage American Christianity than any militant atheist could dream of.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Human history says you are wrong.

When people talk about how some mobilised people to war through reloigion, they also forget that people of Faith also fought to end it. When War Mongerers are in power anywhere, they can apply any excuse.

 

[cnm]

You talk like this is a bad thing.

Almost as though he's clinging bitterly...

 

[Natural Citizen]

The congregations themselves are a lot of the reason the pews are thinning.

I grew up in the black churches in the south. And looked forward to church, honestly.

Nowadays for young people it's sit down, shut up and recite the bold font in the program when told.

It's all just so robotic.

 

[alang1216]

A sad reality in many places. Will new generations live a righteous life without the guidance of a clear moral authority?

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year – probably accelerated by Covid

www.theguardian.com

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline​

Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.

As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.


The situation means some hard decisions for pastors, who have to decide when a dwindling congregation is no longer sustainable. But it has also created a boom market for those wanting to buy churches, with former houses of worship now finding new life.


About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. With the pandemic speeding up a broader trend of Americans turning away from Christianity, researchers say the closures will only have accelerated.

“The closures, even for a temporary period of time, impacted a lot of churches. People breaking that habit of attending church means a lot of churches had to work hard to get people back to attending again,” said Scott McConnell, executive director at Lifeway Research.

“In the last three years, all signs are pointing to a continued pace of closures probably similar to 2019 or possibly higher, as there’s been a really rapid rise in American individuals who say they’re not religious.”

Do churches offer the guidance of a clear moral authority? Some Churches are very inclusive, e.g., accepting gay marriage, others are not. Yet all are Christian. Hardly an example of a clear moral authority.

 

[shockedcanadian]

The congregations themselves are a lot of the reason the pews are thinning.

I grew up in the black churches in the south. And looked forward to church, honestly.

Nowadays for young people it's sit down, shut up and recite the bold font in the program when told.

It's all just so robotic.

This is why I am not a fan of dogma. At my local Anglican church, which I hadn't been nearly enough; they had a singer come in for Easter one year and she was angelic with her voice and guitar that it brought a year to my eyes. What a way to feel the emotion of being in God's place of worship. I recall in Texas riding a bus with my co-worker on a Sunday to head to a meeting and people were singing hymns like a choir, even the bus driver! My buddy and I got off, looked at each other as if to say "now that was different". Inspiring too.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Blame Reagan and Falwell. They did more to damage American Christianity than any militant atheist could dream of.

Falwell, Oral Roberts, Jim Baker, the Popes, and many others I don't remember the names of at this moment.

 

[cnm]

At my local Anglican church, which I hadn't been nearly enough

Is that why Canadian churches are on the decline, too?

 

[occupied]

Falwell, Oral Roberts, Jim Baker, the Popes, and many others I don't remember the names of at this moment.

"The moral majority" was an officially accepted part of republican politics that swept up the disgruntled segregationists and first baptist church types into a group we now call evangelicals. These religious fascists took the worst of politics and religion and told America that they own Jesus now and he's going to quit talking about being nice.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Is that why Canadian churches are on the decline, too?

Most definitely, probably worse than in the U.S. It's unfortunate, Christ should be celebrated, I could have used him as a cold though I privately prayed when I was depressed.

 

[norwegen]

I don't know what planet you've been on, but on THIS one, religion is the bane of humankind.
Murder, rape, pedophilia, theft, lying, cheating, stealing, WAR.......all carried out by the religious "righteous" because there were people that did NOT agree with them......so they were used, abused, or slaughtered.

YOU might want to read some ACTUAL human history books from THIS planet!!!

Gee whiz, atheism must the bane of humankind, too.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Gee whiz, atheism must the bane of humankind, too.

Atheism is a religion, so I'd say yeah.
But they don't promote hatred, cruelty, and death to those that don't believe as they do.