Thousands of churches are closing across the U.S.

[paarsurrey]

I've been to five or six Catholic churches over the past couple of years and I am pleased to report that not only are they full, the attendees are quite varied in age, moreso than many Protestant churches I was a part of for several years.

I know many Catholics who don't go to the Churches, once the Catholics were very apologetic now they don't seem to be interested to take me, a Muslim to the Church, please, right?

Regards

 

[Kathryn]

I know many Catholics who don't go to the Churches, once the Catholics were very apologetic now they don't seem to be interested to take me, a Muslim to the Church, please, right?

Regards

Sorry, wouldn't know.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Thousands of churches are closing across the U.S.
View attachment 98003
"When Pastor Douglas Theobald steps to the pulpit at Struthers United Methodist Church this Sunday, it will likely be the last religious service in its 112-year history.

Over the years, Struthers UMC has weathered the boom and bust cycles of the Youngstown, Ohio, suburb. In the 1960s, when the steel industry was at its height, it was common to see as many as 250 people in the pews on any given Sunday. But Theobald, who started preaching there in 2009, has presided over a congregation in slow decline. Today, services attract only a few dozen, mostly older, congregants."

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/17/1175452002/church-closings-religious-affiliation

Right?

Regards

Mosques are also shutting down in the US, particularly black mosques (other mosques have an influx of immigrants for now, which is the only reason Islam is growing). The truth is that more and more people are choosing to be "nones," meaning that they are either atheists or, far more likely, have spiritual beliefs but don't want to be part of any religion. This is particularly true of the younger generation. This effect ALL religions, not just Christianity.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Mosques are also shutting down in the US, particularly black mosques (other mosques have an influx of immigrants for now, which is the only reason Islam is growing). The truth is that more and more people are choosing to be "nones," meaning that they are either atheists or, far more likely, have spiritual beliefs but don't want to be part of any religion. This is particularly true of the younger generation. This effect ALL religions, not just Christianity.

"Third places" of all descriptions - from bowling alleys to old-school barbershops - are also on the decline, so maybe the causes are common to them and not really about "spiritual" beliefs.

 

[Muffled]

I know many Catholics who don't go to the Churches, once the Catholics were very apologetic now they don't seem to be interested to take me, a Muslim to the Church, please, right?

Regards

I believe Roman Catholicism often is no better than Islam. At least the Baptist church believes a person needs to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

 

[Muffled]

Sorry, wouldn't know.

I believe we have a Roman Catholic person coming to our Baptist church with his mother every other week. The off week He attens a local Catholic church. Perhaps he gets the best of both worlds.

 

[Muffled]

Mosques are also shutting down in the US, particularly black mosques (other mosques have an influx of immigrants for now, which is the only reason Islam is growing). The truth is that more and more people are choosing to be "nones," meaning that they are either atheists or, far more likely, have spiritual beliefs but don't want to be part of any religion. This is particularly true of the younger generation. This effect ALL religions, not just Christianity.

The churches that are growing are the Pentecostal churches.

 

[Kathryn]

I believe we have a Roman Catholic person coming to our Baptist church with his mother every other week. The off week He attens a local Catholic church. Perhaps he gets the best of both worlds.

I hope so, time will tell.

 

[Tomef]

This is actually very bad news for us all. As our churches have long been the heart and soul of our local communities.

Regardless of how you feel about religion, churches have been our community centers, recording births and deaths and marriages and reminding us on a weekly bases that we are a united community of human beings that share in each other's good fortune and suffer each other's heartbreaks. Everyone knew each other and had to look each other in the eye each week at church. And there would be a cost to those that behaved selfishly toward others as everyone else would know.

But that's mostly all gone, now. We're just a bunch of isolated, selfish, individuals looking out for #1. With no sense of community or responsibility toward God or anyone else. "One nation under God?" Not hardly. Now we're just one nation under the yoke of our mutual greed, fear, and selfish stupidity.

That's a blinkered view. Of all the people I've met over the years doing aid work in different countries, hardly any of them were religious. That's not to say churches don't do useful things, but they're far from being the only institutions or groups that do. European societies on the whole are more secular than the US, but tend towards offering help to those in need more.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

I know many Catholics who don't go to the Churches, once the Catholics were very apologetic now they don't seem to be interested to take me, a Muslim to the Church, please, right?

Regards

Today, in EVERY religion there are a LOT of people who choose not to attend religious services. I've personally been friends with a number of Muslims who never go to the mosque. They are not interested in converting me to Islam. I don't really see how there is anything different about them than the Catholics you describe.

I think that as the world has gotten smaller, and society more heterogeneous, these sort of new trends were bound to happen.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

At least the Baptist church believes a person needs to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

So do Catholics. So do Anglicans. So do Eastern Orthodox.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

The churches that are growing are the Pentecostal churches.

We do not disagree. it is true that among Christian churches, its the pentecostal denominations that are growing. However, the number of Christians as a whole is declining, and the number of nones that is growing.

If you want to compare ONLY pentecostals to nones:
The number of nones has doubled in the last 14 years. The number of US pentecostals has only grown about 25% in the same time period.

Most "nones" are not atheists. They have religious beliefs. They simply choose not to join a religious community. For example, those who say "I'm spiritual but not religious."

It DOES start to get a little tricky when you have people who claim to be Christian, but have no church, and will say they have no religion. Do you include them in the statistics for Christians or nones?

 

[metis]

I believe Roman Catholicism often is no better than Islam. At least the Baptist church believes a person needs to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

What??? What do you think Catholicism teaches???

 

[Kathryn]

I believe Roman Catholicism often is no better than Islam. At least the Baptist church believes a person needs to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Yep, after 20 stanzas of Just As I Am, you can run down the aisle and convert right then and there, and then you can live life as you like because you know, forgiveness and all that. Oh, and no need for confession ever, because you can go straight to God with anything you feel guilty about and just confess straight to Him and you're good. And you don't even need to go to church because church can be whatever you want it to be, wherever, whenever, etc!

 

[PureX]

That's a blinkered view. Of all the people I've met over the years doing aid work in different countries, hardly any of them were religious.

You are confusing religiosity with church participation. I have known many folks that were not religious, or were not accepting of the doctrines preached in their church that nevertheless remained regular participants in their church's activities and rituals. it's quite common, in fact. And they do so for a lot of reasons: as a devotion to their spouse, for the benefit of their children, to honor and participate in their chosen community, ...

That's not to say churches don't do useful things, but they're far from being the only institutions or groups that do.

In many smaller communities they are the only institution that does.

European societies on the whole are more secular than the US, but tend towards offering help to those in need more.

By what metric?

 

[crossfire]

Since I haven't done this in a few years, I went to google maps and entered "churches" in the search bar, and within my immediate local neighborhood (5 mile radius) I found:

• 1 Lutheran Church
• 1 Catholic Church
• 1 LDS Church
• 1 Presbyterian Church
• 3 Baptist Churches
• 16 Community Christian Churches
• 1 Sikh Centre
• 1 Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre
• 1 Vietnamese Buddhist Temple

I did notice that a couple of small Christian churches were missing that used to be there in the past, as well as the Seventh Day Adventist Church that was forced out to build apartments.

 

[Tomef]

You are confusing religiosity with church participation. I have known many folks that were not religious, or were not accepting of the doctrines preached in their church that nevertheless remained regular participants in their church's activities and rituals. it's quite common, in fact. And they do so for a lot of reasons: as a devotion to their spouse, for the benefit of their children, to honor and participate in their chosen community, ...

In many smaller communities they are the only institution that does.

By what metric?

This sort of thing: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/sites/default/files/ef_files/pubdocs/2011/02/en/1/EF1102EN.pdf

 

[Kathryn]

Since I haven't done this in a few years, I went to google maps and entered "churches" in the search bar, and within my immediate local neighborhood (5 mile radius) I found:

• 1 Lutheran Church
• 1 Catholic Church
• 1 LDS Church
• 1 Presbyterian Church
• 3 Baptist Churches
• 16 Community Christian Churches
• 1 Sikh Centre
• 1 Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre
• 1 Vietnamese Buddhist Temple

I did notice that a couple of small Christian churches were missing that used to be there in the past, as well as the Seventh Day Adventist Church that was forced out to build apartments.

There are 18 churches in my local area, and I did a search for places of worship in the town I live in.

 

[Clizby Wampuscat]

We can get those things from secular groups.

I agree but it is somehow different. Many churches do community well because they agree on so much. Secular groups seem to be harder to get a real community because of so many differences. This has at least been my experience.