Jessica Grose, Contributing Writer - The New York Times
Stephan:
For several years now I have been tracking a major trend in the United States (see SR archive): the transition of Christianity into christofascism through the linkage of fundamentalist and evangelical church communities with the Republican Party. It has been accompanied by something that is going on not just in the U.S. but throughout Europe, people in droves simply walking away from church affiliation altogether, dechurching, it is often called. This is particularly devastating in the Southern Baptist and Methodist communities. Why is this happening? Well obviously, in large part it is because of the politicization of Christianity to a point where although the words are religious and Biblical, the reality has nothing to do with Jesus’ teachings. I think it also is a result of the anti-LGBTQ posture of the evangelical and fundamentalist communities, as well as their militant male dominance posture.
Illustration by Eleanor Davis
In previous newsletters about Americans falling away from religion, I’ve talked about why so many Americans’ religious identities now fall in the category known as “nones” when, just a half-century ago, nearly all Americans had some kind of affiliation. (It’s complicated and multifaceted, but to summarize, it’s largely a combination of Christianity’s association with far-right politics and the fact that being unreligious has become more socially acceptable over time.)
But it’s not just how Americans identify that has greatly shifted. In their new book “The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?” Jim Davis and Michael Graham with Ryan Burge argue that the most dramatic change may be in regular attendance at houses of worship. “We are currently in the middle of the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of our country,” they postulate, because “about 15 percent of American adults living today (around 40 million people) have effectively stopped going to church, and most of this dechurching has happened in the […]
Christianity is having a major problem in both Europe and North America because college educated people, particularly, are walking away from church affiliation because in the second decade of the 21st century for this cohort the belief and practice of Christian denominations that women are existentially second class and cannot become priests or pastors is just not acceptable.
Baptist Pastor Rev. Linda Barnes Popham speaks out after her church was expelled because it’s led by a woman Credit:CNN
The Southern Baptist Convention — the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the country — voted last week at its annual meeting to uphold the expulsion of two churches led by women pastors: Fern Creek in Louisville, Kentucky, which has had Rev. Linda Barnes Popham as its pastor since 1993, and Saddleback Church, a major southern California congregation with more than a dozen campuses founded by pastor and “The Purpose Driven Life” author Rick Warren.
That vote alone prompted questions from some Christian women, both inside and outside the SBC. But then, the denomination also moved to expandanamendment to its constitution completely restricting all pastoral and elder roles only to men. Previously, only the role of pastor was limited to men, according to the denomination’s constitution.
Though the controversial amendment would require a second vote next year before becoming official, it could affect even more churches and female leaders within the SBC.
Here is what is happening to Christianity in Europe and its churches and catherals. As PEW research Center showed, “in Belgium,… 83% say they were raised Christian, only 55% still consider themselves so. Only 10% of Belgians still attended church regularly.” I think much of the decline in Europe can be explained by two reasons, the endless reports of sexual molestation of children, and the archaic practice of holding that women are second class humans who cannot become priests.
Guests eat breakfast in front of an altar that has been repurposed at the Martin’s Patershof hotel in the center of Mechelen, Belgium, Monday, June 19, 2023. Across Europe, the continent that nurtured Christianity for most of two millennia, many churches, convents, beguinages and chapels stand empty as faith and church attendance have dwindled over the past half century. Many are now been repurposed to preserve their historical and architectural relevance, while others have opened up to non-religious activities to expand their use. Credit: AP Photo / Virginia Mayo
MECHELEN, BELGIUM — The confessionals where generations of Belgians admitted their sins stood stacked in a corner of what was once Sacred Heart Church, proof the stalls — as well as the Roman Catholic house of worship — had outlived their purpose.
The building is to close down for two years while a cafe and concert stage are added, with plans to turn the church into “a new cultural hot spot in the heart of Mechelen,” almost within earshot of where Belgium’s archbishop lives. Around the corner, […]
Here is the Quinnipiac University poll on the consciousness of America. I find it rather sad. For instance, 62% believe the DOJ case against Trump is motivated by politics. The only way one can think that way is to be oblivious to the evidence, and what has happened to other individuals guilty of such transgressions. This poll confirms my belief that the Trump trial should be televised so that Americans can watch the proceedings and see the evidence and hear the testimony. Will that happen? I hope so, but I doubt it.
It also shows that the corruption of the Supreme Court by the MAGAt cabal, and the ethical weakness of Chief Justice Roberts has devastated the highest court in the land, and revealed that we have two levels of justice, one for the rich, one for the rest of the country.
In the week since former President Donald Trump was arraigned on federal criminal charges involving his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, 65 percent of Americans think the charges are either very serious (45 percent) or somewhat serious (20 percent), while 29 percent think they are either not too serious (13 percent) or not serious at all (16 percent), according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll released today.
Americans indicate they are paying close attention to news about the charges. When Americans were asked how closely they have been following news regarding the federal criminal charges filed against Trump in connection with the way he handled classified documents after leaving the White House, 34 percent say very closely, 37 percent say somewhat closely, and 27 percent say not too closely.
Six in 10 Americans (60 percent) think former President Trump acted inappropriately in the way he handled classified documents after leaving the White House, while 26 percent think he acted appropriately.
ALEC TYSON, CARY FUNK and BRIAN KENNEDY, Associate Director of Research | Director of Science and Society Research | Senior Researcher Focusing on Science and Society Research - Pew Research Center
Stephan:
Here is yet another poll reporting on the consciousness of American society this time concerning Climate Change, and once again what stands out is the willful ignorance, or maybe it is just stupidity, on the part of Americans who identify as Republicans. They don’t see climate change as a priority, don’t understand or are incapable of comprehending the level of risk they face.
A recent report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has underscored the need for international action to avoid increasingly severe climate impacts in the years to come. Steps outlined in the report, and by climate experts, include major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from sectors such as energy production and transportation.
But how do Americans feel about climate change, and what steps do they think the United States should take to address it? Here are eight charts that illustrate Americans’ views on the issue, based on recent Pew Research Center surveys.
How we did this
A majority of Americans support the U.S. becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Nearly seven-in-ten Americans (69%) favor the U.S. taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050, a goal outlined by President Joe Biden at the outset of his administration. The same share of Americans (69%) say the U.S. should prioritize developing renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, over expanding the production of oil, coal and natural gas. Carbon neutrality means releasing no more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than is removed.
