Churches faced with empty pews are fighting to keep their doors open, while former houses of worship are being converted into bars, clubs and luxury condos.
  • john89OPM
    36·
    5 days ago

    I personally say, good riddance!

    Hopefully we can pivot from helping people as a guise to recruit them into a religion to helping people because they need help!

    • hddsx
      323·
      5 days ago

      This is an incomplete and probably bad take as churches are important for many black communities in the south and can be one of the places that makes sense for a get out the vote movement

      • john89OPM
        29·
        5 days ago

        You don’t need a church for any of that, which is my point.

        • BCsven
          2·
          4 days ago

          I think a normal country does not, The USA has shown that they may still need it.

      • forrgott@lemm.ee
        9·
        5 days ago

        That sounds like a false equivalence. I doubt the churches you’re referring to are the it’s closing from lack of interest…

        • hddsx
          1·
          4 days ago

          You know what? You make a great point

  • Nik282000
    281·
    5 days ago

    Could it be the armies of sexually assaulted children turning people off of Christianity?

    • BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world
      161·
      5 days ago

      And also the whole culture of teaching hate, fear, vindictiveness, selfishness, violence, exclusion, ignorance, discrimination, etc. Everything they teach and stand for is in stark opposition to everything the person they’re named after taught and stood for. You don’t need churches or institutions or pastors to live the way Jesus told people to live. None of it needs organization at all. The organization of religion, including Christianity, is nothing more than an authoritarian political weapon.

    • asterismEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      i agree dr. wesker (love the username!)

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    161·
    4 days ago

    In the late 1940s, nearly 80% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, mosque or temple, according to Gallup. Today, just 45% say the same, the analytics company noted, and only 32% say that they worship God in a house of prayer once a week.

    We’re making progress. This is why christofascists / christian nationalists are fighting so hard. They see the writing on the wall. They’re fading away. Let them disappear. We will be better off when they’re gone.

    • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
      5·
      4 days ago

      And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

      Matthew 6:5-6

      • BCsven
        1·
        4 days ago

        While that is a good observation, I think their comment is still accurate. Most Christians I know are not always meeting at church, they meet at each others homes, or out in public places. Realestate and building maintenance are too expensive