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Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

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Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#111

Post by cwwc »

CedarMills wrote: post #93

As a believer and someone who attends church regularly, this is sad but not unexpected. From my own personal experience - if the church cannot answer questions clearly, their members will look for answers somewhere else. A lot of churches unfortunately are so elementary in their teaching or turn to "feel good preaching" (see Elevation Church). The longterm effect is that a person ends up being tired of getting the sa…

I get this, but wouldn’t the flip side be the brightness and relief that hypocrisy is being culled through this? Just a thought — but if you stop acting in a way (attending church) that doesn’t jive with what you believe, that seems to be revealing truth (something which all ca rejoice over, even if it’s a tough truth).

On the other hand — if it is people that are losing their faith, that is perhaps different, and I can see your concern.

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#112

Post by lapetitejort »

joeberon wrote: post #39
987yghj wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have chosen new religions and a new elite priesthood, they just have different names.

Agreed, it's been replaced by pure materialism/physicalism

There's probably an appreciable percentage (I have no source for this) of people who leave organized religion because of the gaudiness of megachurches and grand gilded cathedrals. Materialism is not unique to the modern era or secularism.

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#113

Post by softwaredoug »

I enjoyed my pretty low key episcopal church upbringing. There was very little dogmatism, and mostly it created a framework for community activities and service. Many of my friends in youth group were agnostic or atheist. And the church felt welcoming to everyone.

I wish something could replace this in my life. Something that felt softly mandatory that brought people together in a spirit of togetherness and service.

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#114

Post by Milner08 »

thinkingemote wrote: post #91
nly wrote: post #35

For comparison, UK church membership is Numbers for those claiming to be of "No religion" range from from 50 to 60% depending on region. 38% don't believe in God or any higher spiritual power. The interesting thing is people will identify as Christian on the census while also not claiming to subscribe to any particular religion in other surveys. 2021 census (just completed this month) results will be interesting http…

It's Holy Week this week (the week before Easter starts) and every day there is a service in each parish. UK, Roman Catholic churches. You have to book online to reserve a place. A quick look at a few parishes in an area for big and small churches shows that all the services for each day of the week and weekend are booked out in advance. Obviously the numbers able to fit in the churches are capped because of Coronavi…

Roman Catholic... in the UK? That makes up a very small number of churches...

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#115

Post by _1100 »

ccn0p wrote: post #77

The Christian church has gone through an interesting time in 2020. Many churches have lost attendance as pastors closed their doors or tried to stay out of politics, while other stronger pastors who have kept their doors open despite lockdowns and are speaking up against the US government with respect to threats against religious freedom (eg see H.R. 5) -- those churches are stronger and more vibrant than ever.

The absolute bias and lack of any self awareness present in your statements here is fascinating.

There really is only the One Way for you, isn’t there?

Call me brave, but I would counter that there may, in fact, be at least one other way to interpret ideas like “strong”, “freedom”, and “vibrant”.

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#116

Post by hprotagonist »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #41
hprotagonist wrote: post #13

first time in 80 years, anyway. for rather more of the 19th century than we think, regular church attendance was more like 35% of the country.

membership != attendance. There's a joke somewhere about people who only attend church for their baptism and their funeral.

“C and E C of E” is a well known trope. (read: christmas and easter church of england)

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#117

Post by gwbas1c »

currymj wrote: post #81

Fanny Holmes (wife of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.) once said, when asked why she belonged to the Unitarian Church, "In Boston one has to be something, and Unitarian is the least you can be." Unitarianism by the 20th century didn't have any dogma, even atheists and agnostics could be members, and accepted that all religious traditions had spiritual wisdom to offer. But because it had evolved from Christianity it had ins…

Living in Massachusetts, what I've found is that the UU still requires a strict adherence to very left-leaning politics.

The dogma shifted from a religious dogma to a political one.

For example: https://barnstableuu.org/about/history.html

> In the early 19th century there was considerable theological debate in the “churches of the standing order” in New England. Many churches actually split over this debate, the traditionalists becoming Congregationalists and the liberals becoming Unitarians.

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#118

Post by gottebp »

whalesalad wrote: post #28

I had a unique experience growing up in a religious family (that is very tolerant and respectful of all world religions) while simultaneously being immersed in Scientology via a private school experience. The thing that underscores all of my experiences has been hypocrisy. So many people just want to belong to a group, or were raised in it and know nothing better. They don’t practice what they preach. I can’t help bu…

As one who loves the Catholic faith, despite the failings of its members, and who yet also fails to live it well -- I agree with you that hypocrisy is a massive problem.

The group Jesus is harshest with in the Gospels is in fact the hypocrites. He even calls them white washed tombs full of dead men's bones! What a lamentable state of things.

G.K. Chesterton's words in "What's Wrong with the World" come to mind where he points out "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried." Perhaps this applies to all major belief systems though, and not Christianity alone.

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#119

Post by [deleted] »

Renaud wrote: post #88
gabythenerd wrote: post #4

I am impressed that numbers are that high, looking from the outside the US doesn't look particularly religious. It might be lower still, I don't think young people answer cellphone surveys all that much.

>looking from the outside the US doesn't look particularly religious. I am genuinely wondering how you can get to this feeling about the US where religion permeates a lot of the social and political spheres. For a Western country, I am actually quite amazed at the prominence of religion in the US, and by religion, I mean Christianity and its various incarnations. Looking at it from the outside it's actually really we…

[deleted]

Re: Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

#120

Post by Milner08 »

nly wrote: post #35

For comparison, UK church membership is Numbers for those claiming to be of "No religion" range from from 50 to 60% depending on region. 38% don't believe in God or any higher spiritual power. The interesting thing is people will identify as Christian on the census while also not claiming to subscribe to any particular religion in other surveys. 2021 census (just completed this month) results will be interesting http…

Other than my Grandma who is in her 90's and one friend who joined a church later in life (his family are atheist) I don't know anyone in the UK who goes to church. At least among my friends its just not a thing. I find it bizarre how many people in America attend church, but I hold nothing against them for it.
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