Why the Decline in Church Attendance/Membership is Important



There are articles almost daily about the decline of church membership. Those who want to defend the importance of their particular brand of the faith counter do so with survey results saying the majority of respondents still claim to "believe in a god". The majority does not say it believes specifically in the existence of the Christian God.

The problem with these assertions is the assumption a majority supports the hot button issues of anti abortion and anti gay marriage. When the largest group in surveys believes in no particular branch of religion it means there is no central authority passing down judgments of moral issues. It means, it can be said, each person carries his/her own religion is carried about in his/her own head. We don't know which god people believe in.

We have no shortage of self appointed "leaders" who tell us they speak for all those that "believe in god." The wider variety of gods the wider the variety of positions on social issues.

Black Christians do not poll the same on social issues as white Christians. Female Christians poll differently than men. As racial diversity increases so does the diversity of views on religion and the politics associated with it.

Those Christians who play the numbers card (claiming the majority is on their side) are taking a fool's gamble. They often use the argument that because they represent the majority their argument must prevail.

If/when the numbers are not on their side they will have to admit their argument needs to lose. If the present trend of declining membership and Christian self identification continues, the crow will be theirs to eat.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maybe the "Original Sin" Should be Reassigned

Image
We can all agree most Catholic priests are fine people and not guilty of sexual abuse. What Catholics must face, however, it that their church harbors executives who are dishonest . There is an incredible story about the Argentine Bishop Zanchetta. The Pope worked with him in Argentina and they are considered friends. Around 2015 Zanchetta sent nude pictures of himself and they began circulating world wide. He also was too friendly with young seminarians and some left because of him.  Three different officials say they made formal complaints to the Vatican about Zanchetta between 2015 and 2017. Yet, in 2018, the Vatican claimed it was unaware of any complaints about Zanchetta. This might be a good time to repeat the Catholic hierarchy claims to have the sole authority handed down from Jesus to what the faith stands for. It condemns as sinners those who practice birth control, have abortions and gay sexual relationships. Handing the hierarchy this responsibility would make som
Read more

The Religious Capitol Invaders May Yet Win

Image
So much about U.S. society and religion can be learned from the Civil War and what happened afterwards. After its defeat, the South started a myth about the unethical soldiers from the North. The South fought for principles of God and states rights. The North did not. It was the South, this propaganda told the country, that had the high moral ground.  The Capitol invaders, encouraged by Trump, swallowed the myth that Biden's election was stolen. Thus, they think they held and still hold the high moral ground. This was reinforced by the cross and prayers during the invasion. Even with Trump is gone, we will see political opportunists like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley stroking crowds and feeding the same lies as Trump. Like "the South will rise again" these gullible followers will talk of victory over the unclean. After the Civil War the South rallied around the phrase, Lost Cause. For decades, and maybe to this day, there are ceremonies remembering fallen martyrs, Re
Read more

Father Frank Pavone, the Ultimate Crook

Image
Recently, the Vatican defrocked Frank Pavone. His diehard fans are outraged. This is because he cleverly manipulated his fans and the press all the while living well from donations and, apparently, abusing some women. By making abortion the "sin" of the century, and himself the main opposition to this one sin, he himself could get away with any sin he pleased.  As the link points out, Pavone was the perfect priest for the Trump era. Trump is so self-important laws have no role in his life. He felt accountable to no one. Women were there to be had. Pavone and Trump are interchangeable.  Pavone was very successful raising money. In his mind, abortion was so important in Catholic beliefs and he was so important in anti-abortion the money he raised opposing it was his to do with what he liked. The Catholic Church, the brand name he used to raise this money, thought the money belonged to it. When he gave the Vatican the bird, it gave him walking papers. With polls showing the majo
Read more