The following article was obtained through the website, A Piece of Travel, and written by Charlotte G. Jo.
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According to a Statista study, more Americans never go to church than there are Americans who do so every week. Depending on your point of view, that may be a reason to celebrate or fear for fellow citizens.
Breaking Down the Numbers
Of the Americans Statista surveyed, 31% never attend church or synagogue, and 20% attend church or synagogue every week. But an even more startling comparison is the number of people who seldomly go to church versus those who go almost every week; 26% seldomly attend church, whereas almost 10% attend every week. Americans turned to the internet to discuss why they believe people have stopped attending church.
1: Choice
Over 640 people agreed with the simple reason one commenter gave for why many Americans no longer attend church: “More and more people have been given the choice to partake in it or not.” They believe this will ultimately end religion as we know it.
2: In Adults We Trust
An adult reflects on their younger self who remembers being taught “‘This is how you spell ‘this'” and “‘1 + 1 is 2” as facts. So, naturally, they were inclined to believe their parents when they told them about God. However, after meeting a Jewish person when they were five years old, their parents “explained there were dozens of religions and nobody knew which one was ‘real.'” From that point on, the person remembers not believing in religion as a whole.
3: The Internet
For better or worse, the internet brings knowledge into a person’s home that previous, more religious generations never had access to. One commenter believes that the internet is to thank for many people in religious cults “waking up” and seeing what their religion really believes. They cite Mormons as a classic example of people leaving the church due to what they learned on the internet.
4: In the News
The news hasn’t been flattering to many churches in recent years, with the Catholic church being among the most notorious. From priests to Sunday school teachers, the number of wrongdoings to children and the coverups to allow such atrocities to continue to happen has become too much for some Americans. Faith in the church has gone out the stained glass window for them.
5: Corrupt Mini Government
“I don’t go to church because churches are completely corrupt,” says one commenter.” They believe in God, but they say they don’t need a “human-run organization” getting in the way of their faith. The church sheltering their employees and members from crime, operating tax-free, and influencing politics are reasons they cite for not attending church.
6: Hypocrisy Awakening
In the eyes of one non-churchgoer, Americans are no longer going to church because “they can see the hypocrisy.” They believe churches “hoard wealth just like businesses and no longer contribute to their communities.”
7: Two Faces
According to one commenter, Americans are waking up to the inconsistencies in church messaging. Despite most churchgoers being average, good people (like being nice and not stealing or murdering anyone), the church still demonizes them, making them feel like they’re huge sinners.
8: Reality Check
So, why are Americans leaving the church? If you ask one person with a knack for visuals, it’s “because going to church makes people Christians as much as standing in a garage makes people a car.”
9: Study Up
Making the choice to educate oneself about religion outside of the resources churches offer is a surefire reason people are leaving the church, according to someone who’s walked in those shoes. “I studied religions and concluded all were based on myths, legends, or misinterpretations of what people saw.” At the end of the day, this person believes that there’s probably something beyond what we see, saying, “We’re only human.”
10: Inflation
High inflation in the US is making it challenging for many churchgoers to afford the 10% donation that many pastors and priests expect. “It just makes people not want to go,” they said. Making things worse? Religious leaders often relentlessly repeat that churchgoers should give 10% of their salaries to the church.
11: Protecting Family
A parent who was raised in the church watched their extended family disown their cousin for coming out. Fast forward to when their oldest son came out to them, and they said there was no way they’d ostracize their child in the name of the church’s teachings. The parent has harsh feelings towards the church, believing people use it to justify bad behavior. “I’m glad they’re suffering a drop in attendance.”
12: Total Scam
Americans are waking up to what organized religion as a whole is, which is a scam in the eyes of one commenter. They describe the church as pushing “propaganda to discover and brainwash people,” all while receiving monetary gains from their attendance.
13: Getting It Elsewhere
“Churches used to offer moral and ethical leadership, but they’ve given that up in favor of political advocacy,” observes a former churchgoer. They say they’ve stopped attending church because they can find moral and ethical leadership guidance “almost anywhere and everywhere without getting up early to go to church.”
14: Protect Children
To one parent, stopping church attendance was the obvious choice. “We stopped going to church because we have small children now and want to protect them.” Their other two reasons were also head-turners. “We also don’t want to pray to Donald Trump, and we found out a few years ago that our lead pastor makes about $175k/year and always asks us for more.”
15: It’s Simple
In the eyes of one person, the answer about why many Americans no longer go to church is more obvious than many make it seem. Some people have stopped believing in God. Plain and simple.
16: Poking Into Politics
“The merging of Christianity and republicanism is a huge turnoff,” says a commenter who can understand why Americans who lean Democrat have stopped attending church.
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Note: Forty million Americans have stopped attending church in the past 25 years. That's something like 12 percent of the population, and it represents the largest concentrated change in church attendance in American history. (Source: The Atlantic)
Related Articles:
U.S. Church Attendance Still Lower Than Pre-Pandemic
Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline
WHY I DON'T GO TO CHURCH ANYMORE | PASTOR PHIL JOHNSON
The Misunderstood Reasons Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church
