Agreed. That’s why the most important and positive trend here is the rejection of organised religious institutions, as expressed in both de-identification with specific religious preferences and declining church attendance.
Americans seem to be learning that one can be devout without going to a specific building every week or following the dictates of a cleric, and also that one can enjoy a communal experience once a week without all the woo and scolding and demands for conformity.
American evangelicals have been worshipping Mammon (“prosperity gospel”) and Moloch (sacrifice of children to the Holy Gun) for decades now. Biff was the logical outcome of that trend.
Someone recently posted a series of “GOP Gospels” for her Lent project. As you’ll see from this sample, the sad thing is that Xtianists won’t see them as funhouse mirror parodies:
“When you judge, judge from a place anchored firmly on God’s law, for we are all judged by the same divine yardstick against these immutable commandments. Should you see a neighbour transgress, call them out on their transgression, and punish the wrongdoers according to your justice, for God relies upon you to maintain his discipline upon earth.” – Matthew 7:1-5 (GOP version)
The decline in church attendance is a steady trend started in the late '90s. COVID pandemic will make the decline a bi more steep, but for the most part because the people that are going in church are boomers and silents for the most part and because COVID hit more on older people this will cause a gap.
The other demographic that was going to the parish were kids under 14 and their parents.
when the high school stats boys and girls have more interesting thing to do, and normally a moped, so parents have less reason to go to the parish. They come back for marriage.
Not feeling like a freeloader? Having a say in what direction things go in?
Churches (at least the protestant denomination I grew up in), can be somewhat like co-ops. The people who show up to do things are the one’s who decide things, and I think some people’s sense of community is attracted to situations where they can make a difference rather than be a spectator.
I’m not sure how much stock to put in this considering what an outlier year this was, but sadly it’s certainly not a reduction in woo, it’s merely a reduction in formal affiliation. I’m also curious about regional variation, which is barely glossed on. I mean I have friends whose kids were bullied in public school for not being christian, and it certainly wasn’t some small town.
Lol, that was one of the main reasons I didn’t like going. Nap time!
The aspect of churches using their status of being tax exempt as a means to enrich themselves instead of using that money to do social good pisses me off. Tax churches and get them out of politics.
On some level i do understand the place churches have in communities but i can’t help but feel jaded about them, i have a distrust for them and seeing religious folks act in awful ways also drives me further away from ever wanting to be associated with the whole thing.
From what I understand, American Utopia in concert is just that.
There’s going to be a pent-up demand for communal experiences that will released after the pandemic is over, but people are going realise there are better venues for that than churches, mosques and synagogues.
I agree in principle, but just know that like “common sense regulation”, the practical effect will be that the largest will have the resources to survive but thousands of small community churches will go under. In expensive urban areas, a developer’s wet dream, so goodbye to those nice small-to-medium sized spaces where there are concerts and meetings and such.
