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Tuesday, January 24th, 2023

Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline

Author:     Adam Gabbatt
Source:     The Guardian (U.K.)
Publication Date:     Sun 22 Jan 2023 | 04.00 EST
 Link: Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline
Stephan:  

Here we see the absolute proof that the worldview of Christian pastors, particularly evangelicals, with fascism has proven to be a disaster for that faith. A growing number of young people are spiritual, in that they see the matrix of life, and the importance of wellbeing, and it leaves them uninterested in the old-fashioned rituals, the male dominance, the LGBTQ hatred and judgment, and the fascist politics. Plus, particularly for Roman Catholics, the endless case of child sexual molestation. The result, as described in this report, they are leaving in droves. What I think is important to keep in mind is that this is a completely self-inflicted wound.

About a quarter of the young adults who dropped out of church said they disagreed with their church’s stance on political and social issues. Credit: Ed Jones / AFP / Getty 

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 […]

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2 Comments

  1. Wilma Bodrak on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 11:26 pm

    There may also be the pedophilia situation……

  2. Rev. Dean on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 6:09 am

    Younger are becoming more of a spiritual, non-religious, type of people, without anyone telling them how to worship. That is what a free society has: freedom of choice, and I see more meditators, and even teach meditation to a lot of these younger people. That Meditation takes the place of the older religions.